Nationwide, COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Arizona and Navajo County are no exception, as they are both experiencing a surge in positive cases.
According to Dr. Joshua LaBaer, director of the Arizona State University Biodesign Institute, “The State of Arizona is once again seeing an accelerated number of cases day after day. We were a little bit flat for part of the fall where things were steady, but still at a high number. We never really dropped below 1,000 cases per day.”
The same trend is still happening in Navajo County as well. Public Health Director Janelle Linn said, “We saw 497 new cases last week (Nov. 14-20) off tribal lands.”
However, the Navajo Nation is experiencing positive cases at a slower rate than the State or County. President Jonathan Nez said in a town hall meeting last week, “Yesterday, we had over 40 new cases and no new deaths. That is too many, but pretty low compared to all of the states around us.”
LaBaer continued, “We are higher now in our hospital bed usage than we have been since about a year ago, far outpacing what we saw last summer. The concern would be that we are heading into another surge like we saw last December and January. This is not unique to the country, or the world.”
With the holiday season upon us, LaBaer recommends people avoid large indoor gatherings with people who are not vaccinated.
He said, “People are going to gather. If you have a group who have all been vaccinated, I would have no concerns as everyone is protected. If you’ve got a few people coming to the gathering that are not vaccinated, that’s probably still okay. If you have a large group, and there is some question as to who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t, I would recommend getting tested before you gather.”
He added, “Arizona is not as high up as we would like it to be in terms of adoption of vaccines, so there is a lot of people in this state that still need to be vaccinated that are still dry kindling wood for the fire of the virus. Keep in mind that people who are unvaccinated are five to six times more likely to transmit the virus than those who are vaccinated.”
Nez pointed out the exceptional vaccination rate of the Navajo Nation. He said, “Our vaccination status is 71% of our 12 and over. That is 58% of our total population.”
The Nation continues to encourage mask wearing, hand washing, social distancing, staying home when feeling ill and COVID testing, which is readily available throughout the Navajo Nation at no cost to residents.
Captain Brian Johnson, acting director of the Navajo Area Indian Health Services Department said, “We base our decisions on science and data, which is really important. We would like to remind you not to believe everything you see on the internet about the vaccines and the virus, there is a lot of misinformation out there. If you have questions about the safety of the vaccines or anything else, reach out to your health care facility.”
He then reminded people of the many locations a COVID-19 vaccine can be acquired throughout the Navajo Nation including several health care facilities and pharmacies.
Vaccines and boosters were also a focal point in LaBaer’s presentation. He continued, “With this Delta variant, there is a real possibility of breakthrough cases. Up to 30% of the positive cases we are seeing are breakthrough cases. That means that even if you were vaccinated, the immunity that comes from that vaccination starts to drift down over time, so this is a good time to start thinking about booster shots.”
He explained, “We know that boosters not only elevate the immunity and prevents infection, but it also brings the immunity higher than it was after the initial vaccine dose.”
Vaccines have been shown, according to LaBaer to keep people out of the hospital and keeps them from becoming severely ill and “Prevents the spread of the virus. Getting a vaccine and a booster shot will reduce the likelihood of getting a breakthrough case, it will reduce the severity of a breakthrough case. It will also reduce the likelihood of transmitting the virus to someone who might be more prone to getting severely ill.
“It’s probably also worth mentioning that breakthrough cases in people who are older or who have other predisposing medical conditions can be severe. Although, 90% of those who are hospitalized right now, or more, are unvaccinated.”
He also explained some of the other implications of contracting COVID-19. He said, “There is a morbidity of this virus that we’re not really talking about. We spend a lot of time discussing hospitalizations and deaths but we should also start talking about the long-term effects. For example, some have lost their taste and smell and who have lost it for months, some people haven’t gotten it back at all. There are respiratory syndromes and other complications that can occur.”
Recently, the Federal Food and Drug Administration as well as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention approved booster shots for all adults above the age of 18.
LaBaer offered his recommendation of receiving one of the two mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna as opposed to the Jansen product by Johnson and Johnson. He said, “It doesn’t matter what you had for your first vaccine, you can get any vaccine as your booster, a mix and match if you will. My personal advice would be to get one of the two mRNA vaccines. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Pfizer or Moderna brand, just that it is the mRNa type. They seem to give better protection a little bit.”
He added, “If you have had the virus, you should also be vaccinated. People who have had the virus do develop some degree of immunity. But it is a lot less predictable what level of immunity one will get from the virus alone. What we know is that if you had a severe infection, you’re more likely to develop stronger immunity. But we just don’t know for sure. I would say, even if you have had the virus, you should still get a vaccine. You probably don’t need to get it immediately after you’ve had the virus, but a combination of a history of virus and the vaccine seems to give the best immunity.”
Navajo County’s Janelle Linn echoed LaBaer and said, “We are pleading with the community to please realize what is going on. I know we are tired of COVID and we want to resume a sense of normal, but unfortunately, COVID is our new normal. It is surging now and we are having more cases than ever. Our mortality rates are higher than they’ve been since the start of the pandemic. Please, as we go into the holidays, wear a mask, wash your hands and stay home if you are ill. And remember that being vaccinated is not just about protecting you, it’s about protecting other people. Please take this seriously.”
To find vaccination and testing sites on the Navajo Nation, visit www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov.
To find vaccination and testing sites in Navajo County, visit www.navajocountyaz.gov and follow links to the Public Health Department
