The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation was notified on June 25 that a Bethel resident tested positive for COVID-19 while at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. YKHC said that the individual has been out of the region for over a week, and was not in Bethel while they were considered infectious. The individual is self-isolating in Anchorage; contact tracing and follow-up testing will be managed there as well. This marks the 12th case of COVID-19 related to the region announced by YKHC.
Although the state has reopened most of the economy, YKHC urges the public to continue to avoid non-essential travel, practice handwashing and social distancing, wear a mask in public, and frequently disinfect high-touch surfaces in their homes.
Symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and a diminished sense of taste or smell. Anyone with these symptoms is asked to not go see a medical provider, but instead to call their village clinic or the Bethel hospital at 907-543-6949.