{"id":11194,"date":"2021-05-05T12:38:28","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T16:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=11194"},"modified":"2021-05-05T12:44:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T16:44:39","slug":"cronkite-news-white-mountain-apache-tribe-reflects-on-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/05\/cronkite-news-white-mountain-apache-tribe-reflects-on-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: White Mountain Apache Tribe reflects on COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\"wmatcovid19\"\r\n
Justin Tafoya, a registered nurse serving as a public information officer, talks to Lafe Altaha about his health before a nurse checks Altaha\u2019s vital signs at his home in Whiteriver, Arizona, on March 17, 2021. Photo by Alberto Mariani \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n
A community\u2019s response: Reflections from the White Mountain Apache Tribe a year into the pandemic<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, May 5, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Alberto Mariani<\/div>\r\n
Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n
cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nWHITERIVER, Arizona — The COVID-19 pandemic hit Native Americans especially hard. But as the spotlight turned to larger communities, including the Navajo Nation, the White Mountain Apache Tribe quietly battled to save its 15,000 members.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nNow, more than a year since the first COVID-19 cases were recorded in the U.S., the tribe in eastern Arizona has slowed the spread of the disease and helped curb death rates through a combination of intense contact-tracing, surveillance of high-risk individuals and, finally, vaccinations.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nLast year, the reservation was considered a hotspot. By September 1, five months after the tribe\u2019s first recorded COVID-19 case, it had 2,400 cases and had lost 39 people. Over the next six months, there were 1,500 new cases and just 10 additional deaths.\r\n

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Medical staff from Whiteriver Indian Hospital arrive at a tribal member\u2019s home to administer the COVID-19 vaccine in Whiteriver, Arizona, on February 18, 2021. Photo by Alberto Mariani \/ Cronkite News)<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nSystemic social and health inequities, along with multiple generations living under one roof, have put residents of rural towns like Whiteriver at greater risk of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe White Mountain Apache slowed the spread of the disease and helped curb death rates through intense contact tracing, surveillance of high-risk individuals and vaccinations.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nEach day at 9 a.m., a team of medical professionals and tribal members gathers at the Whiteriver Indian Hospital to evaluate the spread of the virus. The morning session lasts about half an hour, then staff are assigned cases to follow up.\r\n

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Justin Tafoya, left, and Kristen Parker visit the home of a White Mountain Apache who\u2019s scheduled for a COVID-19 vaccination in Whiteriver, Arizona, on February 17, 2021. Parker is a pharmacist and outreach director at Whiteriver Indian Hospital; Tafoya, a registered nurse, serves as a public information officer. Photo by Alberto Mariani \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThey separate into smaller teams and head out across the reservation, going door to door to check on those who are positive with COVID-19, to monitor vital signs of those at-risk and to vaccinate those who agree.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nEarly on, the medical team used pulse oximeters to assess patients\u2019 vital signs more accurately and spot positive cases before more pronounced symptoms developed.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThis outreach effort helped the team form a stronger bond with tribal members, which medical workers say allowed them to get better information about who might have been exposed to the virus and respond quickly to any deteriorating cases.\r\n

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