Mural on the side of building in Shiprock, New Mexico, in the Nation Nation March 22, 2020.
The Navajo Nation is expecting 3,900 Pfizer vaccine doses to arrive Monday and Tuesday, and 7,800 Moderna vaccines are also expected within the next two weeks.
Dr. Loretta Christensen, Chief Medical Officer in the Navajo Nation, said in an online town hall those first in line are health care workers, Emergency Medical Services staff, traditional practitioners, and people living or working in long-term care facilities.
President Jonathan Nez said residents in all but one of the eight service areas across the reservation will be getting their vaccines through Indian Health Services. The service area in Utah will be provided by the state of Utah.
The Navajo Nation reported 347 new cases Wednesday — the third highest daily case count during the pandemic. Nez said he attributes the spike to Thanksgiving gatherings.
The Navajo Nation reported its highest daily case count, with 398 cases on Nov. 21. But since then numbers have generally been going down. As of Friday, it had reported 18,943 cases and 699 deaths throughout the pandemic.
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