- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — As the number of Covid-19 continue to rise on the Navajo Nation, a stay-at-home order remains in effect for all residents with the exception of essential workers who must report to work, to obtain essential items such as food and medication, and in cases of emergencies.
On Thursday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with thSe Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 166 new Covid-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and seven more deaths. The total number of deaths is now 940 as of Thursday. Reports indicate that 13,762 individuals have recovered from Covid-19, and 226,158 Covid-19 tests have been administered. The total number of positive Covid-19 cases is now 26,782.
Navajo Nation Covid-19 positive cases by Service Unit:
- Chinle Service Unit: 4,970
- Crownpoint Service Unit: 2,687
- Ft. Defiance Service Unit: 2,764
- Gallup Service Unit: 4,284
- Kayenta Service Unit: 2,459
- Shiprock Service Unit: 4,696
- Tuba City Service Unit: 3,179
- Winslow Service Unit: 1,706
* 37 residences with Covid-19 positive cases are not specific enough to place them accurately in a Service Unit.
On Thursday, the state of Arizona reported 9,398 new cases, Utah reported 2,089, and New Mexico reported 997 new cases. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez visited the Kayenta Health Care Center on Thursday, where he thanked health care workers as they continue administering the Covid-19 vaccines to individuals who are 65-years and older and essential employees including Navajo Tribal Utility Authority workers. Health care facilities across the Navajo Nation continue to administer vaccines to help protect elders and high-risk patients against the virus.
“The team at Kayenta Health Care Center is doing a great job in reaching out to the elders, high-risk, and essential workers in their service area to inform residents and to arrange drive-thru vaccination events. I commend their workers and all of the Navajo Area IHS employees who are working hard to protect our people. It’s important that all of us do our part to protect ourselves and others. Even after you receive the first and second doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, please continue to wear a mask, social distance, stay home, avoid gatherings, and wash your hands often. The process of vaccinating as many people as possible will take time due to limited vaccine resources and the extensive coordination that it requires. We thank all of our health care workers and we ask all of our Navajo people to continue praying,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said.
The Navajo Health Command Operations Center, under the Navajo Department of Health, now has an online registration form available for those who want to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. The online registry will assist with planning the allocation of vaccines and in scheduling individuals at the appropriate health care facility. Please visit the following link for more information and to register: https://www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/Covid-19/Covid-19-Vaccine/Vaccine-Registration.
Covid-19 testing schedules are available online at the Navajo Health Command Operations Center website: https://www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/Covid-19/Covid-19-Testing. For more information, including helpful prevention tips, and resources to help stop the spread of Covid-19, visit the Navajo Department of Health's Covid-19 website: http://www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/Covid-19. For Covid-19 related questions and information, call (928) 871-7014.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Tunica-Biloxi Chairman Pierite Hosts Roundtable with Tribal Leaders and Trump Administration Officials
$38 Million in Cobell Settlement Funds Are Still Available
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
