Region has 29 active cases

 By Peter Loewi
Alaska Airlines has made masking optional on their flights after a federal judge in Florida ruled that the Centers for Disease Control lacked the authority to issue a mask mandate. The judge, Kathryn Mizelle, was nominated by President Trump in September 2020, and was not recommended to the position by the American Bar Association, who said she lacked the necessary experience.
An official in the Biden administration said that “The agencies are reviewing the decision and assessing potential next steps.” In the meantime, the court decision means that CDC’s public transportation masking order is not in effect at this time. The CDC continues recommending wearing a mask in public transit.
Cases in the country have risen 43 percent over the last two weeks, driven by Omicron subvariants.
In Nome and the region there are currently 29 active cases: nine in White Mountain, eight in Shishmaref, six in Nome, four in Wales, one in Brevig, and one in Golovin.
Still a public health emergency worldwide
The White House and the World Health Organization have both said that the coronavirus is still a public health emergency. In a press conference last week, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that more needs to be done before the WHO can lift this designation.
The World Health Organization has finished a year-long report suggesting that the actual worldwide death toll from the pandemic is around 15 million, two to three times higher than official totals suggest. The release of the report has been blocked, however, as India voiced criticism of the counting method. In the report, India’s official death toll would increase to around 4 four million, the most of any country in the world.

Region has high infection rate
According to Friday, April 15’s COVID and Flu update from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the Nome Census Area had the second-highest rate of COVID infections in the state, behind Dillingham. The case rate per 100,000 persons was more than four times higher than the state average, among the highest in the country.
Starting Monday, April 18, Anvil City Science Academy and Nome-Beltz Middle and High School were switching to a mask-optional policy through the end of the school year. But, as noted in the school board meeting last week, that could change back in the event of outbreaks. Nome Elementary School won’t be switching to mask-optional and continues the current mask policy through the end of the school year.

The week in numbers
On Tuesday, April 12, Norton Sound Health Corporation identified 25 new COVID-19 cases in the region. There were 13 in Shishmaref, eight in Wales, three in White Mountain, and one in St. Michael.
This made for 58 active cases in the region: 29 in Shishmaref, 16 in White Mountain, six in Nome, six in Wales, and one in St. Michael.
On Wednesday, April 13, NSHC identified 10 new COVID-19 cases in the region. Five were in Nome and five were in Shishmaref. This brought the number of active cases in the region to 60: 31 in Shishmaref, 13 in White Mountain, nine in Nome, six in Wales and one in St. Michael.
Over the four days from Thursday, April 14 to Sunday, April 17, NSHC identified 29 new COVID-19 cases in the region. There were 17 in Shishmaref, five in White Mountain, four in Nome, and three in Wales. Active cases in the region dropped to 30: 14 in Shishmaref, eight in Nome, six in White Mountain, and two in Wales.
Norton Sound Health Corporation identified 15 new COVID-19 cases in the region on Monday, April 18. Of the new cases, there were seven in White Mountain, three in Nome, two in Wales, and one in each Brevig, Golovin, and Shishmaref.
Since March 2020, the United States has had 80,686,310 officially reported cases of COVID-19 and 988,899 associated deaths.
Alaska has reported 241,959 cases of COVID-19, 3,749 hospitalizations and 1,202 associated deaths. There are currently 26 people hospitalized in the state due to COVID-19.
The Nome, Bering Strait and Norton Sound region has had at least 5,929 COVID-19 cases, 44 hospitalizations and six deaths.