On April 6, YKHC confirmed the first positive COVID-19 case in Bethel. Within that same evening, YKHC worked closely with Alaska Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing to identify over 80 individuals who were considered “close contacts” of the known positive. Close contacts are defined as individuals who were within 6 feet of the person who tested positive for more than 5-10 minutes. Due to YKHC’s obligation to protect patient privacy, we cannot offer additional details regarding the status of the positive case.
All close contacts were offered testing and, as of today, all have completed isolation requirements. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services provides regular updates on COVID-19 case counts, recovered cases, and additional coronavirus response information at: https://coronavirus-response-alaska-dhss.hub.arcgis.com/
We encourage all residents in the YK Delta to continue to adhere to protective measures including social distancing, regular disinfecting of highly touched surfaces, and regular handwashing. The Governor’s health mandates banning all non-essential intrastate travel and sheltering in place remain in effect. All State health mandates can be found at: https://covid19.alaska.gov/health-mandates/
Symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever and a cough, sometimes causing shortness of breath. If you have these symptoms, do not go to your village clinic or to the emergency room in Bethel. Instead, call your village clinic or in Bethel call 543-6949 so a health care provider can assist you.
Get the latest information on COVID-19 from YKHC at www.ykhc.org/covid-19.