Arizona tribes receive vaccine doses at a high rate
Age limit lowering after elders, essential workers
After suffering heavy losses from COVID-19 in the past 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 has administered over 7,000 vaccine doses as of Feb. 18, according to tribal Governor Stephen Roe Lewis. Those are a combination of first and second doses.
“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
Gila River received its vaccine through the Indian Health Service 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 older than 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 unique.
Tribal communities had the option of getting services through IHS or the state for vaccine distribution and administration. Lewis said they chose IHS, like many tribes in Arizona.
He attributes part of the community’s success for vaccine distribution to the partnership with the agency.
“They’ve done everything they can to make sure our tribal communities have the resources they need to vaccinate our people,” Lewis added.
On Thursday, the Indian Health Service announced on Twitter that it had 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.
“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.
As of Feb. 18, 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.
The Navajo Nation reported Feb. 18 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 received its COVID-19 vaccine doses through the state of Arizona, according to the tribe’s media relations specialist, Kim Secakuku.
The tribe received 4,200 doses and is currently waiting for an additional 2,000, Secakuku said. They had dispensed 2,675 doses as of Friday.
The vaccine has been received “pretty well” within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, she 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.
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.
Several tribes across Arizona have opened up their vaccination efforts to community members 18 and older. 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.
“I thank all of our Navajo people who are getting vaccinated to help protect themselves and others.” Jonathan Nez Navajo Nation president