As of Jan. 8, there have been 12,242 COVID-19 cases reported in Navajo County and Public Health Nurses are monitoring 548 households on off-tribal lands. Spread of the virus continues to be high in communities and this continues to put tremendous pressure on regional hospitals. As of last week Summit Healthcare vaccinated over 600 people with the Moderna vaccine. Summit Healthcare and other healthcare agencies currently receive a weekly allotment of vaccinations based on supply and demand. The vaccines are ordered by Navajo County Public Health and vaccine clinic schedules are set by the state and based on vaccine availability. Phase 1B began on Monday, Jan. 11. Phase 1B includes K-12 school staff, child care workers, law enforcement and protective services, and adults 75 and older. Registration for an appointment is required by visiting summithealthcare.net, click on the big red banner to schedule an appointment. Due to vaccine availability Summit Healthcare is not allowing walk-ins to the COVID-19 vaccination clinic, you must have an appointment. Summit Healthcare’s vaccination site is located in Summit’s Conference Center, located at 4951 S. White Mountain Blvd., Building C in Show Low. Follow the bright red signs. Summit is experiencing the same surge that other hospitals throughout the United States are experiencing. Hospital beds are filling up with COVID and non-COVID illness. Summit Healthcare’s surge plan has been in effect since November 2020. Inpatient bed capacity ranges between 80 to 95 percent, with critical and non-critical patients. With visitor restrictions in place, frontline staff are not only taking care of patients for healthcare, they are also serving as family, caregivers and clergy to the patients. Little Colorado Medical Center continues to care for a high volume of COVID patients, testing or treating approximately 10 per day in the emergency department and an average census of seven COVID inpatients. LCMC continues to provide COVID testing, providing approximately 300 tests per week, with an average positive rate of approximately 16 percent. LCMC has provided approximately 300 COVID vaccinations thus far on a scheduled basis, will continue to provide hundreds per week moving forward. For more information about COVID-19 and the vaccine visit Navajo County’s Public Health page at navajocounty.gov.
