On July 2, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation announcedtwo new cases of COVID-19, the first time it has confirmed two cases in one day. These mark the 14th and 15th cases of coronavirus that YKHC has announced.
The first case is a Bethel resident who was tested upon arrival at the Bethel airport. YKHC is highly confident this is a travel-related case, and said that contact tracing shows that the individual’s exposure to the community was very low.
The second case is a Y-K Delta village resident who tested positive 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 the Y-K Delta while they were considered infectious for COVID-19. This individual is self-isolating in Anchorage.
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.
