Officials reported two positive cases of COVID-19 in the Alaska Peninsula village of Cold Bay over the weekend. This marks 11 confirmed cases in the community of roughly 50 people.
Upon receiving the positive test results, the unnamed individuals were placed in isolation, according to Eastern Aleutian Tribes, the regional tribal healthcare provider, which operates Cold Bay's Anna Livingston Memorial Clinic.
Eastern Aleutian Tribes is working with city and state officials to ensure precautions are taken to protect anyone who may have been exposed to the coronavirus, according to a statement from the healthcare provider.
One of the individuals is a non-resident, according to the statement, and the other is a resident of Alaska, but not of Cold Bay. Therefore, the State of Alaska will not show these as positive cases for the region. How the individuals contracted the virus is under investigation.
In addition to the weekend's positives, six non-residents tested positive for the virus in early September, two non-residents tested positive for the virus in June, and one resident tested positive in early August.
Paul Mueller, CEO of Eastern Aleutian Tribes, said all cases are travel-related.