Case number tops 2,500; local CDC team to be established
WINDOW ROCK
Some 2,559 people — 1.5% of the population — have tested positive for COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation as of Tuesday evening. This includes 1,191 males, 1,368 females, with an average age of 45 years old. The number represents 85 new cases since Monday — more than the previous day, but a definite flattening of the curve since the peak of more than 180 new cases in a day.
Six more deaths were confirmed Tuesday, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 79, which includes 48 males, 31 females, with an average age of 66 years old. A total of 15,651 COVID-19 tests have been administered with 11,609 negative test results — 84 percent of the total.
“Some have overcome the virus and have recovered,” said President Jonathan Nez during Tuesday’s town hall. “We are in the process in identifying recovery numbers.”
In order to open up the Navajo Nation again Nez said they would be following Centers for Disease Control guidelines, which states there has to be 14 days of no increase in cases. When the Nation gets to this point Nez said they would be opening Navajo up in phases.
“A lot of our focus has been on testing,” said Nez. “We have been very aggressive with testing our citizens.”
This weekend there will be another 57-hour curfew. Although a majority of people are listening to the stay-at-home order Nez estimated 20 percent aren’t, and he said he’s hoping people will hold those who aren’t taking public health order seriously accountable.
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“We don’t have the resources to follow every citizen around,” said Nez. “It’s not about babysitting someone. It’s about keeping our people safe. It’s up to us. If you want to go back to some kind of normalcy, we need to stay home.”
David Nez, incident commander for the Health Command Operation Center, said for the past week they have been averaging 100 positive cases a day because Navajo citizens who are experiencing flu- or cold-like symptoms are going to area hospitals to get tested.
He added that people who are identified through contract tracing as having been exposed to the virus are also being contacted and advised to be tested.
With the increase of numbers David Nez said they are looking to begin a case management system, and this will require a CDC team to be established on Navajo.
This team will assist in stopping the spread, as well as helping with contact tracing.
“This team will help bring support to hospitals where the positive cases are determined and we start investigations,” said David Nez. “One of the areas we are expanding on is alternative care sites. We have one in Gallup, Chinle and Shiprock.”
They are also asking hotels in Tuba City, Chinle and St. Michaels to take asymptomatic individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 so that they can isolate properly without fear of spreading the virus.
If you are impacted by COVID-19 and need immediate essential items, such as food, water, or livestock feed, please call (928) 871- 6271.
For more general COVID-19 information, visit https://www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/COVID-19 or call the HCOC Hotline at (928) 871-7014.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow