Area Briefs | States bordering Nation report 1st Omicron cases

SANTA FE

On Monday, the New Mexico Department of Health announced that the first identified case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant has appeared.

The case was identified on Sunday, Dec. 12, and is a female adult in Bernalillo County.

The individual reported recent domestic travel to a state with reported cases of Omicron.

In Arizona, the first case of the Omicron variant was detected on Dec. 8, state health officials said.

The case was confirmed in Yavapai County, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The Utah Department of Health confirmed the state’s first case of the Omicron variant on Dec. 3.

The person who tested positive for the virus is an older adult who lives within the Southwest Utah Public Health District and recently returned home to Utah after traveling to South Africa.
Omicron has been identified as a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC describes a variant of concern as “A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (for example, increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures.”

The Omicron variant has been confirmed in at least 30 states and the District of Columbia, as well as more than 60 countries. Omicron appears to be spreading faster than the currently-dominant Delta variant.

Health officials remind everyone that the best way to protect themselves and their loved ones continues to be vaccination. Everyone age 5 and over is eligible for vaccine, and everyone 16-plus is eligible for a booster shot.

NAU professor’s run on ‘Jeopardy’ ends

FLAGSTAFF – Northern Arizona University professor Marti Canipe’s run on TV’s “Jeopardy” ended Tuesday night.

Competing in the semifinals of the “Professors Tournament,” Canipe had $2,200 in “Final Jeopardy” and went all in. She got the question wrong and finished in third place.

Even though she didn’t win the tournament, she leaves with $10,000.

The show was taped in October and Canipe had to stay quiet and not tell anyone what she was doing or how she did.

Indigenous survey open for submissions

TULSA, Okla. – Native Americans are invited to participate in a survey about critical issues impacting them and their communities.

The Indigenous Futures Survey will be used to make changes on the priorities and needs of Indian Country.

The 2021 reports and research data were used to inform Congress on the impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous communities and on issues such as civic engagement, identity and culture.

The survey is hosted by IllumiNative, Native Organizers Alliance, and Research for Indigenous Social Action and Equity.

The inaugural Indigenous Futures Survey was the largest and most comprehensive study ever conducted in Indian Country, with over 6,460 participants representing 401 tribes from all 50 states.

Crystal Echo Hawk, Pawnee, founder and executive director of IllumiNative, said, “Native and Indigenous peoples deserve to be seen and heard. For so long, we have been forgotten or worse, deliberately excluded from research and data collection.”

The survey is open for Native peoples to participate until Jan. 31, 2022.

Information: https://indigenousfutures.org

---