Tribes are exceeding vaccine targets

After suffering heavy losses from COVID-19 in the last year, tribal communities across Arizona are on track or exceeding expectations with vaccinations against the virus and some have begun offering shots to any community member over the age of 18.

The Navajo Nation, which once had the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country, has now administered more than 101,000 doses of the vaccines, exceeding its goal to hit that number by the end of February.

“The confidence level in the vaccines is very high among our Navajo people and that’s evident by the long lines of people wanting to receive the vaccine that we see at each vaccination site,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said.

The Gila River Indian Community south of Phoenix is preparing for a large-scale community vaccine event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park for tribal members who are 18 and older. It includes tribal members who live on or off tribal land.

“We have a robust vaccination program and we plan to continue making vaccines accessible to our community,” Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis said.

At another event earlier this month, GRIC vaccinated nearly 1,000 essential community workers, and Lewis said they hope to vaccinate twice that many on Saturday.

“As a tribal leader, I’m so pleased that the Biden administration has prioritized getting vaccines in regards to equity to communities that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic,” Lewis said.

“Indian Country has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, especially the tribes here in Arizona,” Lewis said. “We’ve been playing defense this whole time.”

“Having the ability to provide vaccines, at least as a tribal leader, as the Governor for the Gila River Indian Community, allows you to be on the offense against this virus,” he said.

Prioritizing the most vulnerable

The Gila River Indian Community has administered over 7,000 vaccine doses as of Feb. 18, according to Lewis, a combination of first and second doses.

Gila River received its vaccine through the Indian Health Service (IHS) in December and “we’ve been getting a consistent supply,” Lewis said.

The community followed CDC guidelines on distribution by getting the elders and essential workers vaccinated first, but now, Lewis said they’re moving onto anybody over the age of 18.

“As a sovereign nation we also prioritized our most vulnerable as well,” Lewis said. “One of the reasons our program works is that we were able to tailor the program to our community’s needs.”

Lewis said his community is looking at vaccinating from a holistic point of view because they’re a unique community.

Tribal communities had the option of getting services through IHS or the state for vaccine distribution and administration within their community. Lewis said they chose IHS, like many tribes in Arizona.

Lewis attributes part of the community’s success for vaccine distribution to the partnership with IHS.

“They’ve done everything they can to make sure our tribal communities have the resources they need to vaccinate our people,” Lewis added.

Besides the upcoming vaccine event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, GRIC has other vaccine opportunities set up for tribal members at the Hu Hu Kam Memorial Hospital, Komatke Health Center, D3 Sacaton Boys & Girls Club and D6 Komatke Boys & Girls Club.

On Thursday, the Indian Health Service announced on Twitter that it has surpassed its original goal of administering 400,000 COVID-19 vaccines by the end of February.

Even with vaccine efforts rolling out within Indigenous communities across the country, Indigenous people have experienced the highest death toll from COVID-19, according to a report from the APM Research LAB.

“Pacific Islanders, Latino, Black and Indigenous Americans all have a COVID-19 death rate of double or more that of White and Asian Americans, who experience the lowest age-adjusted rates,” the report states

This means that 1 in 475 Indigenous Americans has died, or 210.6 deaths per 100,000, according to the report.

Navajo Nation surpasses goals

The Navajo Nation, which was hardhit by the coronavirus from the beginning, has surpassed its vaccine goals and has seen its daily infection numbers declining.

Navajo Nation officials reported Thursday that they had administered over 101,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, exceeding their goal of 100,000 by the end of February.

“COVID-19 vaccine doses are going into the arms of our people at a very high rate here on the Navajo Nation,” Nez said.

Nez attributes the success of the vaccine rollout within the Navajo Nation to the coordination among the Navajo Area IHS, the Navajo Department of Health, tribal health organizations and all of the health care workers.

“The great report we received today from Navajo Area IHS is a testament to the hard worker and careful planning that our health care professionals are doing every day,” Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer added.

As of Thursday, the Navajo Area IHS reported that 133,765 total vaccine doses have been received and 101,332 administered, which represents 76% of the total doses. So far, 23,729 individuals have received both a first and second dose of the vaccines.

“I thank all of our Navajo people who are getting vaccinated to help protect themselves and others,” Nez said. “If you would like to receive the vaccine, please contact your health care service unit and schedule an appointment or attend one of the drive-thru vaccination events.”

The Navajo Nation reported Thursday that the total number of positive COVID-19 cases was 29,386, with 1,127 deaths and 15,917 individuals who have recovered.

Salt River working with state

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) received its COVID-19 vaccine doses through the state of Arizona, according to SRPMIC Media Relations Specialist Kim Secakuku.

The tribe received 4,200 doses and are currently waiting for an additional 2,000, Secakuku said. They have been able to dispense 2,675 doses as of Friday.

The tribe reported on Friday that they have 26 active COVID-19 cases, a number that includes tribal and non-tribal members living within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Secakuku said the tribe’s partnership on state and federal levels has contributed to the success of the vaccine distribution within the community.

“Those partnerships have been in place for quite a while,” she added.

The vaccine has been received “pretty well” within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Secakuku said. There was some hesitation in the beginning, but the tribe has been able to provide more information and education about the vaccine to the community, she added.

The tribe has been following the CDC guidelines for vaccine distribution, but in the end, it is up to tribal leaders to determine how they distribute it within their community.

Tribes are able to determine how the vaccines are distributed and whom they are distributed to, Secakuku said because “it’s based on sovereignty.”

Secakuku said within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the vaccine has been available not only for all tribal members, but for all those living in the community boundaries, including non-tribal members.

Secakuku said the tribe is planning a vaccine clinic later this month for anyone 18 years and older. It will be open to all tribal members as well as non-tribal members who live in the community.

Several tribes across Arizona have opened up their vaccination efforts to community members aged 18 and over. Many of the tribal health services make those announcements via social media. This includes the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, San Carlos Apache Tribe and the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The San Carlos Apache Tribe reported it had vaccinated 3,849 tribal members as of Feb. 17, and the San Carlos Apache Health Corporation released a vaccine schedule for tribal members aged 16 and over.