The Navajo Nation 

Office of the President and Vice President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2020

2,997 recoveries, 125 new cases, and seven more deaths related to

COVID-19 reported as nearly half of all positive cases have recovered

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – On Wednesday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 125 new cases of COVID-19 for the Navajo Nation and seven more deaths. The total number of deaths has reached 292 as of Wednesday. Preliminary reports from 11 health care facilities indicate that approximately 2,997 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, with one health care facility report still pending. 

41,776 people have been tested for COVID-19, which represents 20.3-percent of the Navajo Nation’s residents. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases for the Navajo Nation has reached 6,275.

Navajo Nation cases by Service Unit:

• Chinle Service Unit: 1,627
• Crownpoint Service Unit: 591
• Ft. Defiance Service Unit: 352
• Gallup Service Unit: 1,065
• Kayenta Service Unit: 934
• Shiprock Service Unit: 1,055
• Tuba City Service Unit: 515
• Winslow Service Unit: 128

* Eight residences are not specific enough to place them accurately in a Service Unit

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer continue to caution the Navajo people about letting up their guard too soon while the COVID-19 pandemic remains a serious threat throughout the country. In Arizona, health care officials continue to report spikes in new cases. This week, Banner Health in Phoenix reported that the use of ventilators for COVID-19 patients has quadrupled since Memorial Day in late May.

“Our health care system on the Navajo Nation cannot afford a second wave of COVID-19. Our frontline warriors, our resources, and our health care facilities have been strained since the virus hit our Nation in mid-March. We have to continue making good decisions by staying home as much as possible, wearing protective masks in public, washing our hands often, practicing social distancing, and all of the good practices that have helped to flatten the curve in our communities. Now is not the time to start traveling off the Nation. It only takes a few people to travel off the Nation and spread the virus in our communities once again. Let’s stay the course and hold each other accountable,” said President Nez.

“We are carefully optimistic when it comes to the daily number of new cases and our path forward. The Navajo Nation remains in a public health state of emergency due to COVID-19, so everyone needs to be mindful of that. This pandemic is far from over and we certainly want to prevent a second wave and all of the devastation that comes with it. Please continue to pray and make good decisions for yourself and your loved ones,” said Vice President Lizer.

For more information, including reports, helpful prevention tips, and more resources, please visit the Navajo Department of Health’s COVID-19 website at ‪http://www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/COVID-19. To contact the primary Navajo Health Command Operations Center, please call (928) 871-7014.