First Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Administered In Hard Hit Indigenous Communities

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Dr. Lawanda Jim, Chair of Internal Medicine, receives a COVID-19 vaccine at Northern Navajo Medical Center on Tuesday in Shiprock, N.M.

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The Navajo Nation has been hit especially hard. The nation of 170,000 has recorded 20,000 coronavirus cases and at least 731 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

«The arrival of the Pfizer vaccine is a blessing for all of our people, including the doctors, nurses, and many other health care warriors, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. «I truly appreciate all of the health care workers who are dedicating themselves to fight COVID-19 and save lives.

Tribes can select their preferred distribution method between the federal Indian Health Service or state health agencies. In some cases the state agencies have more trust within tribal communities, according to AP.

The Indian Health Service is an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and maintains a health service delivery system for 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives across 37 states.

American Indian populations were disproportionately affected by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus outbreak. Kailee Fretland, an Indian Health Service hospital pharmacist at the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota, helped design the vaccine distribution plans in an effort to avoid the same problem, according to AP.

«We went back and we reflected on what happened with H1N1, Fretland said. «The tribes were often not prioritized and we wanted to make sure that that did not happen with COVID.

MPR reports that Minnesota tribal nations were among the earliest to receive the vaccine and credit their careful planning for distribution.