A home in Ohkay Owingeh in New Mexico. Photo: Chuck Olsen
With COVID-19 clusters being detected in some of their communities, widespread coronavirus testing is occurring among Pueblo tribes in New Mexico.
According to Governor Ron Lovato of Ohkay Owingeh, located in the northern part of the state, 174 tribal citizens have been tested by the New Mexico Department of Health. That accounts for about 10 to 12 percent of the population residing in the pueblo.
“It focused on identified individuals who potentially had or will have contact with a positive,” Lovato wrote of the testing effort in an April 7, 2020, update. Included are health and public safety workers, he said.
Such testing represents a significant increase within the community, which has only seen 2 positive cases so far. One person is a client of a treatment center on the reservation, while the second is a tribal citizen who lives elsewhere but had recently been to the pueblo, Lovato said in a prior update.
Overall, the eight Pueblo tribes in the northern part of New Mexico have not reported any significant numbers of COVID-19 cases despite being located near two major cities — Santa Fe, the state capital, and Espanola.
Most of the eight northern Pueblos are based in Rio Arriba County, which has just 6 cases reported so far, according to the most recent state data.
The situation looks far different for tribes that are closer to Albuquerque, the largest city in the state. The New Mexico Department of Health has conducted widespread testing in the Pueblo of San Felipe and in the Pueblo of Zia, where alarming numbers of COVID-19 cases were reported on April 7.
The “@NMDOH has conducted extensive testing in both pueblos and is working with tribal officials to contain the spread of #COVID19 in these communities and provide care to those who have tested positive,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said in a post on social media.
“Do your part to slow the spread of COVID-19: STAY HOME,” Grisham added.
The @NMDOH has also identified clusters of #COVID19 cases at San Felipe Pueblo and Zia Pueblo, both in Sandoval County, where community spread has been identified.
San Felipe Pueblo currently has 52 cases.
Zia Pueblo currently has 31 cases.— Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) April 7, 2020
Data reported by the Indian Health Service, a federal agency, also highlights the spread of the coronavirus in New Mexico. As of April 6, the Albuquerque Area of the IHS had 99 positive cases, a huge increase from just days prior.
The tally includes a growing number of cases at the Pueblo of Zuni. The tribe had 7 COVID-19 cases as of early this week.
New Mexico is home to 19 Pueblo tribes. All fall within the Albuquerque Area of the IHS.
A 20th Pueblo community — Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, more commonly known as the Tigua Tribe – is located in neighboring Texas. It’s also served by the Albuquerque Area of the IHS.
Additionally, the Albuquerque Area includes the Alamo Chapter, the Ramah Chapter and the Tohajiilee Chapter of the Navajo Nation. Ramah has reported 10 COVID-19 cases as of April 7. Alamo, located in Socorro County, has 2 COVID-19 cases, according to the most recent Navajo Nation data.