Native Americans Are Once Again Facing Hardships in a Global Pandemic

While President Trump mocked the threats that COVID-19 was posing in early January, Native American leaders began preparing their response for the impeding pandemic.

By Eli Cooper

August 6^th, 2020

Navajo woman having her vitals taken at testing center in Monument Valley, AZ

Unfortunately, infectious diseases are no new threat to our country’s Native American population, and the recent statistics coming from these tribes reaffirms their struggles. As the nation begins to reopen, those that are historically disenfranchised are facing increasing hardships and conflicts regarding health. Reports coming out of tribes like the Navajo were showing a higher infection rate per 100,000 people than hot spots like New York.

Time and time again, hospitals in Native American-heavy communities are showing disproportionately higher rates of illness. This comes in part to the crammed communities and tight-knit families that resreservations throughout the country. On top of the tight living conditions, Native American communities have a history of underfunded health and wellness programs. The New York Times reported that of the nearly 1.5 million positive tests that were reported through May of 2020, people that identified as black or Latino were three times as likely to contract the virus. With the lack of racial classification within many of the counties that Native Americans live in, health experts estimate that these communities may be suffering the worst.

Navajo family poses outside their home in Mountain Valley, Arizona

Located on one of the largest reservations in the country, the Navajo people are severely under-equipped for the issues that Coronavirus is causing. According to one BBC article, the Navajo Reservation spans more than 27,000 square miles across 4 states and has only 13 grocery stores. When approximately 56% of the residents are unemployed and roughly 38% live below the national poverty line, access to clean food and water is very difficult to come by. Trips to get fresh food and necessities frequently means members of various families going the journey together, then returning home to a multigenerational household to pass the virus on.

Quarantine and proper social distancing are difficult practices for impoverished and mistreated communities in this country. It is unfortunate that the very people who built this land are the ones being affected the most by this nation’s lackluster response to the pandemic. Various organizations have begun accepting donations to help combat the virus like the Navajo Department of Health, which can receive donations here.

Sources 

Arun Rath, M. (2020, June 29). Mass General Nurses Treat Coronavirus Patients In Navajo Nation. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2020/06/29/mass-general-nurses-treat-coronavirus-patients-in-navajo-nation

Cheetham, J. (2020, June 16). Navajo Nation: The people battling America’s worst coronavirus outbreak. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52941984

Conger, K., Gebeloff, R., & Oppel, R. (2020, July 30). Native Americans Feel Devastated by the Virus Yet Overlooked in the Data. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/us/native-americans-coronavirus-data.html

Donation. (n.d.). Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.nndoh.org/donate.htm

Lakhani, N. (2020, May 26). Why Native Americans took Covid-19 seriously: ‘It’s our reality’. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/26/native-americans-coronavirus-impact

US, C. (2010). Fact Sheet. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.discovernavajo.com/fact-sheet.aspx

Vincent DeGennaro, J. (2019, May 07). The systemic poverty in Navajo Nation is a national travesty. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/05/the-systemic-poverty-in-navajo-nation-is-a-national-travesty.html