There are 138 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the Norton Sound/Bering Strait Region (122 regional residents - 12 of whom tested positive outside the region - and 14 non-residents); 118 recovered and 20 active. There have been 11,887 confirmed cases of Alaska residents with COVID-19.

Total number of tests done: 31.8K

Total number of unique patients tested in the region: 9,142

Results: 30.6K returned negative, 137 returned positive, and 846 are pending

The latest news from Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, including the latest health mandates and alerts, can be found here.

10/22 Press Release: On October 21, Norton Sound Health Corporation identified three COVID-19 cases in the region. They were also notified of one regional resident who tested positive for COVID-19 while outside of the region.

The patients have been notified and some agreed to allow NSHC to share their locations. One patient is a resident of Nome and tested positive for COVID-19 in accordance with the City of Nome Travel Mandate. The second patient, who is a resident of the region, tested positive for COVID-19 while in Anchorage, but was not in the region during their infectious period. NSHC also received two positive COVID-19 results from Stebbins.

The addition of these four cases brings NHSC’s count of COVID-19 cases from the region to 138. NSHC’s patient count includes regional residents who tested positive while outside of the region as well as non-residents of the region who have tested positive while in the region.

10/21 Press Release: Late in the evening of October 20, Norton Sound Health Corporation identified seven positive COVID-19 cases in Stebbins, bringing the total number of recent cases in the village to 34.

There are currently 16 active cases in the community. The patients are considered to be close contacts and related to the cluster of previous cases in the village of Stebbins. If you have been told you are a close contact, you need to quarantine away from others for 14 days. Everyone in the community is encouraged to get tested for COVID-19 and limit their social circles to just their own households.

Results via Text: NSHC now has mobile phone text results available! It's a quick and easy way to get your COVID-19 test results and show proof that you have been tested. Text 833-413-0568 with the patient's full name and date of birth to receive your test results.

If you have been tested recently, you may automatically receive a text from NSHC. You will be asked for permission to send results and can reply "STOP" to receive no further messages from NSHC.

If you would prefer to look up your own results using the MyHealth Patient Portal, you may do so here or by signing up for the portal through NSHC Registration at 443-4542.

The daily call continues Monday-Thursday at 11 a.m. Tribal leaders are invited to call into 1-800-315-6338; access code: 03286#. If you have trouble dialing in, an alternative number to call is: 1-913-904-9376, also with access code: 03286#.

Please mute your phone until the end, when NSHC will answer any questions.

Do you have questions in advance? Email Reba Lean, NSHC Public Relations Manager at [email protected] or text 907-434-1927 before 11 a.m., and your questions will be answered during the briefing.

Find minutes from previous calls here.

Nome Airport Testing: Passengers arriving at the Nome airport can now receive COVID-19 testing upon arrival. Travelers to Nome may choose to shorten their quarantine time from 14 days to seven days, if they receive COVID-19 testing upon arrival and again seven days after arrival.

Drive-up Tent Testing: NSHC offers expedited COVID-19 testing for people in Nome who have no symptoms of sickness. If you are symptom-free and would like to be screened, you can stop by the testing tent in front of the hospital without an appointment from 8-10:45 a.m. and 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. NSHC asks people follow the current recommendations to stay 6 feet apart and wear facemasks to prevent any potential unwanted sharing. Watch a video about the tent opening here.

In the villages, symptom-free patients may also receive testing by calling their local clinics.

COVID-19 testing comes at no cost for patients. There will be no balance bill for the testing. Effective March 18, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to cover COVID-19 testing without imposing any cost sharing (such as deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance) or prior authorization or other medical management requirements. NSHC will bill the patient's medical insurance for the test, but there will be no out-of-pocket charge to any patient.

Patients without health insurance will not be charged.

Outpatient Services Reopen: Norton Sound Health Corporation would like to welcome back patients who have put off their health care visits because of COVID-19 concerns. Please call Primary Care at 443-3333 or your local clinic to make an appointment for your health care needs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released guidelines addressing regions with low rates of COVID-19 and says patients may been seen for visits and screening exams, such as mammograms and colonoscopies. If you would like to be seen by telemedicine, NSHC has that option available as well for many types of care.

Cloth Face Coverings at NSHC: The State of Alaska recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings, and NSHC requires face coverings in all of its facilities. Patients are encouraged to bring their own masks, but masks will be made available if patients do not have them, and they must be worn at all times during their visit.

You can read more about frequently asked questions about cloth face coverings on the CDC website.

Scheduling Appointments: If you live in a village, please call your local clinic for all health concerns. If the clinic is closed, your calls will ring to the Nurse Call Line. You can also call the Nurse Call Line directly at 907-443-6411 or 844-586-8773 with any urgent needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you live in Nome, please call the Primary Care Clinic during business hours if you feel sick or have other health care needs at 443-3333. If you have urgent healthcare concerns outside clinic hours, feel free to contact the Nurse Call Line at 443-6411.

In Nome, if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and are directed to come in for testing, please use the hospital's rear entrance.

After a Test, per DHSS: If you have symptoms and are being tested for COVID-19, you should self-isolate while waiting for your test results. If you test positive, a public health nurse will monitor you. You’ll be allowed to leave isolation once 10 days have passed since your symptoms started and 3 days have passed since recovery. Recovery is defined as being fever-free (without the use of fever-reducing medications) and improvement in respiratory symptoms. Even if you test negative, you should still continue to self-isolate for 7 days from when your symptoms started and until you’ve gone three days since recovery. If you have been identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, you must stay in quarantine for 14 days from your last exposure (certain exceptions may apply to people working in a critical infrastructure sector). A negative test result does not shorten your quarantine.

COVID-19 Guidance for Close Quarters: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some tips for families and groups that share small or crowded homes. The guidance covers what to do if you share a room with someone who is sick and how you can remain safe while sharing a small space.

Read more details about how to follow that guidance here.

Quarantine Preparations: NSHC has designated its quarantine leader as Amy Hollis. If you have medical travel quarantine questions, she can be reached at 907-434-0654 or by email at [email protected].

VILLAGE HEALTH SERVICES: In order to protect communities and health care providers in the villages, NSHC will be locking doors to local clinics. The clinics will remain operational during normal hours. When a patient calls to schedule an appointment, they will be asked a series of screening questions by a Community Health Aide to determine any exposure to COVID-19. Their chief complaint will be brought to a provider to determine if an appointment can be completed over the phone or scheduled in clinic. 

PRIMARY CARE CLINIC TELEHEALTH: The Primary Care Clinic (PCC) in Nome is operating with reduced hours from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. PCC is currently seeing patients that require face-to-face visits, determined by their doctor. However, you can talk to your doctor under PCC’s new telemedicine program. Norton Sound Health Corporation now offers telehealth direct-to-home video and telephone appointments for Nome and Village customer-owners and patients. This new service delivers health care to you in the comfort of your own home, or wherever you may be.

This new service allows customer-owners to have the choice of a video consult with NSHC physicians using their smartphone, tablet (iPad), or computer. You can see a physician for most medical problems that you would typically come to the primary care clinic for. Some of the common issues addressed with telemedicine include:

Nome and Village patients with a chronic medical condition such as diabetes or hypertension may be contacted by the telehealth team to schedule a follow-up visit by telemedicine soon. Your provider will send you a unique link that you can use on your device, which we may have to test before your virtual visit. We may ask you to go to the hospital to have lab tests done before your visit.

Nome customer-owners may request a telehealth visit with their primary care provider by calling the clinic to schedule a video or telephone consult. PCC will make an effort to schedule your appointment on the same day, if one is available. PCC will give you a specific appointment time, just like you would receive for a regular, in-person visit.

Coping During COVID-19: Every person reacts uniquely to stressful situations. With COVID-19 concerns across the world, you may experience:

Click here for more on COVID-19 coping skills.

NSHC has received many inquiries from the public about how they can help during this COVID-19 national emergency. In this stressful time, it is important to remain generous and thoughtful. A little extra kindness goes a long way.

There are many ways you can help serve your community, thereby helping your health care system stay under its capacity:

Additionally, there are ways you can help your local health care community specifically. Here are a few ideas:

Handmade Cloth Face Masks: NSHC is seeking donations of handmade cloth face masks from the public.

NSHC recommends that if people wish to make these handmade cloth face masks, they do so for the following:

Norton Sound Health Corporation will accept donations at the hospital’s main entrance lobby during its open hours. Local businesses in Nome can request numbers of masks from [email protected]. If you are in a village and would like to make masks, please advertise what you’re doing and reach out to those who might be in need.

There are many handmade face masks tutorials available on the internet, but NSHC would like to recommend the following specifics:

Watch a video tutorial here.

Quarantine Preparations: NSHC knows that patients traveling to Nome or through Nome for appointments in Anchorage will be impacted by statewide travel restrictions. NSHC is preparing to house quarantined regional residents who either came to Nome for medical care or are returning from receiving care in Anchorage and are on their way to their home villages. NSHC would like to make their stays as comfortable as possible in appropriate, isolated housing around the community. In its preparations, NSHC will be supporting local businesses as much as it can but will be requesting help from community members as well.

If you are willing to help support these quarantined individuals, please consider donating the following:

Mark Peterson, MD - Medical Director: "At NSHC we continue the ongoing process of planning and preparation for dealing with COVID-19 in our region. We are fortunate to now have point-of-care testing here in our lab in Nome. We have the ability to test patients from Nome or any of our villages and get same-day results from the time the sample reaches our lab. This will allow us to more rapidly isolate those who get infected, and those who come into contact with infected persons. We are fortunate to have this capability and we feel it well help us greatly in our effort to mitigate spread of the virus."

Nationwide: Read up on all COVID-19 information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Statewide: Do you have non-clinical questions about COVID-19? You can utilize the Alaska 211 hotline and speak with a medical volunteer. Find all Alaska DHSS recommendations and mandates here.

Regional: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath) and you believe you may have come into contact with the virus, you should call NSHC's Nurse Call Line before going to your provider to be seen: 907-443-6411. All the latest public safety announcements from NSHC can be found on our website.

ANMC: For information on how COVID-19 is impacting services at the Alaska Native Medical Center, including visitor restrictions, visit their website.