The first 150 or so tests came back negative.Â
Last spring, health care workers in Kodiak had swabbed somewhere around 150 noses, looking for a mysterious new virus called COVID-19, before they found any.Â
Testing efforts started in March of this year as Kodiak and the rest of the world began to grasp the magnitude of the growing COVID-19 pandemic. But it wasnât until April 15 that anyone tested positive for the virus here, officially marking its arrival in Kodiak. That day, health officials said 153 tests had been performed so far.Â
Eight months, 905 cases, five deaths, thousands of tests and countless closures, cancellations and Zoom meetings later, COVID-19 is still deeply affecting Kodiak. There was no bigger story in 2020. It touched everything, and even though vaccines are slowly rolling out across the country, the virus will likely dominate headlines for months to come.Â
When Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center went into surge mode at the end of November, many medical specialists were required to change their roles to help care for the growing number of COVID patients.Â
Even hospital staff who have kept the same positions as before had to start dealing with new pandemic-related challenges in their day-to-day jobs.
Kodiak natives Zoya Herrnsteen and Ella Saltonstall, twin sisters who both work in the health care industry, have taken these changes in stride. They have learned to deal with the daily challenges brought by the pandemic. Â
Herrnsteen is a physical therapist who now acts as a nurse extender by helping nurses care for residents at the Chiniak Elder House.Â