Kotzebue sees cluster of COVID-19 cases

Maniilaq Health Center (Wesley Early/KOTZ)

Ten Kotzebue residents have tested positive for COVID-19 this week, including two employees of local health care provider Maniilaq Association.

Maniilaq officials said Monday that a resident tested positive after traveling to Kotzebue from Anchorage and experiencing symptoms of the virus.

The next day, Maniilaq announced that three other Kotzebue residents, including two of its employees, tested positive for the virus as well. The two employees don’t perform health services at Maniilaq. One of the three individuals who tested positive on Tuesday is showing symptoms of the virus. Officials say they don’t believe those cases are travel-related.

Then on Wednesday, six passengers returning to Kotzebue from out of state all tested positive for the virus. All six medically isolated themselves in Kotzebue immediately after testing.

With these 10 new cases, there have now been 60 positive cases of COVID-19 in the Maniilaq service area, which covers Kotzebue, the surrounding Northwest Arctic Borough villages and the North Slope village of Point Hope.

KOTZ - Kotzebue

KOTZ is our partner station in Kotzebue. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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