{"id":957,"date":"2020-09-22T09:28:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T14:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=957"},"modified":"2020-09-22T09:28:24","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T14:28:24","slug":"indian-country-today-navajo-nation-hosts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/22\/indian-country-today-navajo-nation-hosts\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Country Today: Navajo Nation hosts town hall with Dr. Fauci"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MzqwCEitnSQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Navajo Nation Office of President and Vice President: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/MzqwCEitnSQ>Town Hall with Dr. Anthony Fauci &#8211; September 21, 2020<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h1-responsive\">Dr. Anthony Fauci praises Navajo Nation, talks vaccine trial<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Navajo citizens still leery of COVID-19 vaccine trials<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Mary Annette Pember<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indian Country Today<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source-website\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indiancountrytoday.com\/\">indiancountrytoday.com<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nDr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, addressed vaccine concerns with Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer in a virtual town hall Monday.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAlthough Lizer asked one question about the safety of the current phase 3 Pfizer COVID-19 trials being offered to Navajo citizens, the topic dominated comments from listeners, eliciting more than 1,400 responses during the approximately hourlong meeting.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMany people continue to express suspicion about the safety of the testing. Critics also cite a lack of transparency by the Navajo government in the vetting process for the trials.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSeveral listeners expressed exasperation with others&#8217; negative comments. \u201cStop bickering and pay attention!\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMany people wanted to know details about the trial process.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOthers wanted to know how much money Navajo government leaders would receive for allowing the trials, and many echoed <a href=https:\/\/indiancountrytoday.com\/news\/vaccine-trial-triggers-outrage-from-lummi-navajo-tribes-cBrxUdl96ECgsYLxq-JheQ>previous complaints that the government was using Navajo people<\/a> as &#8220;guinea pigs.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">HAPPENING SOON: The famed Dr. Anthony Fauci will join Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer for a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#COVID19<\/a> town hall. Tune in! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NNPrezNez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NNPrezNez<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NNVP_Lizer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NNVP_Lizer<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NIAIDNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@niaidnews<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Coronavirus<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/DrFauci?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DrFauci<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Navajo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Navajo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BOMfbC2Pxb\">https:\/\/t.co\/BOMfbC2Pxb<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lfwEsLFvbp\">pic.twitter.com\/lfwEsLFvbp<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1308060874939260929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 21, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAccording to Nez, including Native Americans and other ethnic minorities in vaccine trials is important.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cNot every vaccine works for every nationality or body type,\u201d he said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nPublic health experts say vaccine trials \u201cshould have participation reflective of the makeup of the country,\u201d according to <a href=https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2020\/09\/17\/black-people-brown-people-covid-19-vaccine-trials\/>Cronkite News<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nEmmanuel Peprah, an assistant professor of global health at New York University and former National Institutes of Health official, <a href=https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2020\/09\/17\/black-people-brown-people-covid-19-vaccine-trials\/>told Cronkite<\/a>: \u201cA lot of African Americans, Black and brown people have died from this coronavirus. If we do not participate in a large enough sample size so that we\u2019re representative, we won\u2019t know how these various vaccines will interact with us and give the clinicians \u2026 enough data.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nChristine Ami, Din\u00e9, faculty member of the Social and Behavioral Sciences department at Din\u00e9 College, a past critic of the Navajo government\u2019s lack of transparency in the vaccine trial vetting process was blocked, once again, from making comments.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Now in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTOpinion?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ICTOpinion<\/a> <br><br>&quot;Politics of Distrust: The Navajo Nation\u2019s use of propaganda devices to recruit participants for COVID-19 trial vaccine&quot;<br><br>By Dr. Christine Ami<br>Din\u00e9 College Associate Professor<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bLcZnx9z8O\">https:\/\/t.co\/bLcZnx9z8O<\/a><\/p>&mdash; ICT Opinion (@ICTOpinion) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTOpinion\/status\/1308066452897959938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 21, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nFauci assured Lizer that an independent safety data and safety board monitors the trials. In the case of an adverse reaction, the board has the power to pause the trial, as happened recently in Great Britain with the AtraZenica vaccine trials.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe AstraZenica trial was paused after two trial participants in Great Britain developed serious neurological illnesses. Although the trials have resumed in Great Britain, Brazil, India and South Africa, they are still on hold in the U.S., according to the <a href=https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/19\/health\/astrazeneca-vaccine-safety-blueprints.html>New York Times<\/a>. The company has come under fire for refusing to divulge details about participant\u2019s illnesses in Great Britain\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe pause [in the AstraZenica trial] is a manifestation of how the system is working,\u201d Fauci said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBefore the vaccine is approved for use by the public, the Food and Drug Administration will carefully scrutinize the data and make the final decision, according to Fauci.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cSo we should feel confident that since these things are transparent, the vaccine will not be released to the public before it\u2019s proven safe and effective,\u201d Fauci said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n  <\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nLaura Hammitt, director of infectious disease programs at the John Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, who is overseeing the Pfizer vaccine trials on the Navajo Nation, also spoke during the meeting. She reiterated <a href=https:\/\/indiancountrytoday.com\/news\/vaccine-trial-triggers-outrage-from-lummi-navajo-tribes-cBrxUdl96ECgsYLxq-JheQ>statements made to Indian Country Today in an earlier interview<\/a> regarding the importance of including Native people in vaccine trials and failure of past drug and vaccine trials to do so.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe Navajo Nation has participated in numerous clinical vaccine trials in the past, including the Hib vaccine,\u201d Hammitt said. The Hib, or haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine, reduces the rate of meningitis, pneumonia and epiglottitis.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAccording to Hammitt, the decision to move forward with the trials were made by the <a href=https:\/\/www.nnhrrb.navajo-nsn.gov\/pdf\/2020\/NNHRRB%20Members2020.pdf>Navajo Nation human research review board<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/www.nnhrrb.navajo-nsn.gov\/pdf\/2020\/NNHRRB%20Members2020.pdf>Members of the board<\/a> include: Beverly Becenti-Pigman, chair; David Begay, PhD; Rebecca Izzo-Manymules, PhD; Kalvin White, PhD; Ursula Knoki-Wilson who has a masters in nursing and public health; Dr. Sonya Shin; Nanibaa\u2019 Garrison, PhD; and Delvin Yazzie. Becenti-Pigman did not respond to email or phone requests for comment.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cOverall, the trial has enrolled over 25,000 people in the U.S.,\u201d Hammitt said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/895260481&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/din-situation\" title=\"Din\u00e9 Situation\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Din\u00e9 Situation<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/din-situation\/research-risks-and-dine-vaccine-trials\" title=\"Research Risks and Din\u00e9 vaccine trials\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Research Risks and Din\u00e9 vaccine trials<\/a><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Din\u00e9  Situation: <a href=https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/din-situation\/research-risks-and-dine-vaccine-trials>Research Risks and Din\u00e9 vaccine trials<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption><p><\/p>\r\nHammitt explained that participation in the trial is voluntary; 50 percent of participants will receive the vaccine and 50 percent will receive a placebo in the form of saline solution. All participants will be monitored for a period of two years, according to Hammitt.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nDr. Jill Jim, director of the Navajo Department of Health, also joined the call. \u201cI want to assure you [Dr. Fauci] that we will continue to abide by public health professionals and the medical society here in the U.S. going forward,\u201d she said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nNeither Nez nor Lizer responded to an email requesting comment.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nFauci praised the Navajo Nation for its efforts in fighting the COVID-19 virus through following public health measures such as wearing masks and limiting in-person gatherings.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI believe that the rest of the country can look at the Navajo Nation as a model for turning things around by adhering to the guidelines of avoiding infection,\u201d Fauci said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;It only takes a few positive cases to lead to another surge&quot;: Navajo Nation leaders are again urging <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Coronavirus<\/a> social distancing and masks amid reports of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#COVID19<\/a> spikes on largest reservation in US. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NNPrezNez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NNPrezNez<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NNVP_Lizer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NNVP_Lizer<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Arizona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Arizona<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NewMexico?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NewMexico<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Utah?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Utah<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/v7a53W4BD1\">https:\/\/t.co\/v7a53W4BD1<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1308407715975356416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 22, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe Navajo Nation, along with other tribal nations, were hit hard by the novel coronavirus. Cases surged in the hundreds early on in the pandemic and dropped to the single digits on August 25. In the last few weeks, the number of new cases are fluctuating between zero and 25. As of September 20, the tribe has 10,119 positive cases and 548 deaths in total.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHe noted that the fall and winter months will be especially challenging as the ability to hold activities indoors decreases and the flu season begins.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe want to see the baseline of the country down as low as we see on the Navajo Nation,\u201d Fauci added.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<strong>Note: Indian Country Today partnered with John Hopkins Center for American Indian Health in May to compile a comprehensive COVID-19 database for Indian Country. <\/strong>\r\n<p><\/p><HR><EM>\r\nMary Annette Pember, citizen of the Red Cliff Ojibwe tribe, is national correspondent for Indian Country Today. On <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/mapember?lang=en>Twitter: @mapember<\/a>. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pember loves film, books and jingle dress dancing.<\/em><HR>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Our goal is public service&#8221;: This article originally <a href=https:\/\/indiancountrytoday.com\/news\/dr-anthony-fauci-praises-navajo-nation-talks-vaccine-trial--qhx47s4AU27BcmqltO3aA>appeared on Indian Country Today<\/a> LLC, a <a href=http:\/\/bit.ly\/2V4LgEh>nonprofit, public media enterprise<\/a>. Reader support is critical. ICT does not charge for subscriptions and tribal media (or any media, for that matter) can use the publiciation&#8217;s content for free.  Contribute to the <a href=https:\/\/support.indiancountrytoday.com\/>nonprofit Indian Country Today<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<strong>Thumbnail photo of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony S. Fauci by <a href=https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/whitehouse\/49809803361\/>Shealah Craighead \/ White House<\/a><\/strong>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, addressed vaccine concerns with Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":972,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,1],"tags":[272,273,5,129,28,274,130,29,24],"class_list":["post-957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-national","tag-anthony-fauci","tag-christine-ami","tag-coronavirus","tag-ict","tag-jonathan-nez","tag-laura-hammitt","tag-mary-annette-pember","tag-myron-lizer","tag-navajo","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/anthonyfauci-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-fr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}