Totem poles stand outside Ketchikan Indian Community’s clinic and administration building at 2960 Tongass Avenue. The federally-recognized tribe announced three clinic workers had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. (KRBD file photo)
Three staff members at the Ketchikan Indian Community health clinic have tested positive for COVID-19. That’s according to a joint statement from local emergency response officials and the federally-recognized tribe Tuesday evening.
KIC has closed its health clinic, including its dental practice, through Wednesday for disinfection. Patients with scheduled appointments are either being rescheduled or given telehealth appointments.
KIC says it plans to test everyone that works at its clinic and administration building at 2960 Tongass Avenue before they return to work. It’s not immediately clear how many people that entails.
It’s not clear what prompted the three individuals to be tested, nor what roles they perform at the clinic. Messages left with KIC were not immediately returned Tuesday evening.
Some 48 Ketchikan residents and visitors have tested positive since the pandemic began. All but five have recovered. Officials haven’t reported any deaths from COVID-19 in Ketchikan.
Free COVID-19 tests are available in Ketchikan for anyone with even minor symptoms of the disease. The drive-up testing site located at Berth 3 in downtown Ketchikan recently changed its hours — testing is now available Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
There’s more information at Ketchikan’s testing hotline. That’s 247-TEST. Information for tribal members is available at 228-9480.
