Alaska News

Fairbanks health center employee who tested positive for COVID-19 stayed out of facility after traveling

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A Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center employee tested positive Sunday for COVID-19, but the center confirmed the employee had not come into contact with any patients during the last few weeks.

The employee has been self-isolating at home since returning from travel in the Lower 48 and has not been to the facility, the Tanana Chiefs Conference said Monday in an online statement.

Communications Director Doreen Deaton said the employee had traveled through the Seattle airport but it was not clear where else in the Lower 48 he or she traveled.

The health center provides outpatient services to Indian Health Service beneficiaries, according to its website. On March 12, the center wrote that that any employees who recently traveled out of state must self-isolate for 14 days after their return to Alaska.

The employee is one of 12 new cases announced Sunday, which brought the total number of cases statewide to 114.

A patient at the Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center tested positive for the virus Friday, also, and was quarantining at home. There were 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Fairbanks as of Sunday.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story referred to Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center as a hospital. The facility offers outpatient services.

Tess Williams

Tess Williams is a reporter focusing on breaking news and public safety. Before joining the ADN in 2019, she was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Contact her at twilliams@adn.com.

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