A third person has tested positive for COVID-19 in the Northwest Arctic Borough according to Maniilaq Association, the regional health care provider.
The individual arrived in Kotzebue on Monday, June 1. They were tested upon arrival, and the results came back positive on Thursday from the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. While results from performing a rapid test can be processed the same day by Maniilaq, health officials recently said they have a shortage of those tests.
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Maniilaq officials say once the person was located, they were brought to the local respiratory clinic before being taken to the Nullagvik hotel where they are quarantining.
Officials are still conducting contact tracing to see if the individual came into contact with anybody while in Kotzebue.
This is the second positive case of COVID-19 to occur in Kotzebue, and the third in the Maniilaq service area, which covers the Northwest Arctic Borough and the village of Point Hope. The first case in Kotzebue was on May 20; the second regional case occurred when a resident of the village of Kivalina tested positive in Anchorage the same week.
Correction: This post has been corrected to reflect that first case in Kotzebue was on May 20, not March 20.
Wesley Early is a reporter with Alaska Public Media, covering municipal politics and Anchorage life.
