COVID-19 cases decrease across Indian Country as more community members receive vaccine

As the Indian Health Service and many tribal nations administer doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to its members, new cases of COVID-19 virus are decreasing across Indian Country.

This is encouraging news after the virus has ravaged many reservations where many did not wear masks or practice social distancing. In response to the growing number of cases, tribal leaders issued mask mandates, curfews and capacity restrictions for local businesses.

As of March 22, the Indian Health Service reports that it has administered 850,228 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. IHS also reports that as of March 23, there have been 189,482 positive cases of the virus in Indian country with a 9.4 percent cumulative positive rate and a 2.8 percent rolling average positivity rate.

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation is already in Phase II, Tier VII of its vaccination prioritization and is now in the process of administering the vaccine to the general population, ages 18 and older. This means that health care workers, dentists, teachers, college staff and daycare staff have been vaccinated. As part of Tier VII of Phase 2, the vaccine is being administered to the general population 18 years of age and older.

 For information, please visit the MHA nation’s website.

“Today, our obligation is to give each of these lives lost even more meaning. In their names, let us keep each other safe. In their names, let’s have each other’s back. Let’s live each day to the fullest. In their names, let us embrace each other. In mourning those who have left us, we remain mindful of how to beat the COVID-19 virus.”

-Cherokee Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., at the vigil as reported in Native News Online.

The national rollout of the vaccine has led to a reduction in the number of cases throughout Indian country. The Navajo Nation, which has a 16.3 percent cumulative positivity rate, has seen its seven-day average rolling positivity rate drop to 4 percent. Phoenix, which has a 13.9 percent cumulative positivity rate, saw its seven-day rolling average positivity rate drop to 3.5 percent. Another hard-hit area, Oklahoma City, has a cumulative positivity rate of 13 percent saw its seven-day rolling average positivity rate drop to 3.2 percent.

On March 18, the Cherokee nation hosted a special candlelight vigil to honor those who lost their lives to the virus. March 18 is the one-year anniversary of the first tribe member who died from the virus, according to Native News Online. The ceremony paid tribute to all 106 people who died from the virus at the memorial in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at the tribe’s W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex.

“Today, our obligation is to give each of these lives lost even more meaning,” said Cherokee Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., at the vigil as reported in Native News Online. “In their names, let us keep each other safe. In their names, let’s have each other’s back. Let’s live each day to the fullest. In their names, let us embrace each other. In mourning those who have left us, we remain mindful of how to beat the COVID-19 virus.

That means getting the vaccine, wearing a mask in large gatherings, and following the latest public health recommendations. Each life lost to COVID-19 is a deep loss, and each life lost was meaningful. We can give even deeper meaning to those we lost by working together, in their memory, to keep each other safe and keep our communities strong.”

For three days in a row, March 21-23, the Navajo Nation did not report any new deaths from COVID-19. On March 21, it also did not report any new cases of the virus. This marked the first time in six months that the Navajo Nation did not report any deaths or new cases. The nation did have new three new cases on March 23 and 10 new cases and two new deaths on March 24, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“Once again, the Navajo Nation is exemplifying what can be accomplished when we listen to the public health experts and work together. Our hard work is paying off and our prayers are being answered. The fight against COVID-19 continues on. Variants continue to be of great concern across the country, especially as we see more and more people travel including students on spring break.”

Tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement.

This news follows the nation’s soft reopening last week with 25 percent capacity for some businesses, according to the Associated Press. The nation still enforces daily curfews and a mask mandate. The nation’s death toll is up to 1,235 and 30,021 cases, according to U.S. News and World Report.

 During the height of the pandemic, the nation experienced the highest infection rate per capita in the United States. The Navajo Nation’s land, the greatest of any indigenous tribe in the country, stretches across Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. September 8, 2020 was the last date that the tribe reported that it did not have any new cases, a day that it also had four deaths attributed to the virus.

“Once again, the Navajo Nation is exemplifying what can be accomplished when we listen to the public health experts and work together. Our hard work is paying off and our prayers are being answered,” tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. “The fight against COVID-19 continues on. Variants continue to be of great concern across the country, especially as we see more and more people travel including students on spring break.”

Since members of the nation started receiving the vaccines, the number of deaths and COVID-19 cases started to decrease, noted CNBC news in a special report. As of March 22, 38 percent of Navajo citizens have received both does of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines and 57 percent have received at least one dose.

The Navajo reservation has about 173,000 residents and 298,000 enrolled citizens. More than 191,000 vaccine doses have been distributed, according to tribal health officials.

Coronavirus | Indian Health Service (IHS)

The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.