The Indian Health Service updated its coronavirus testing data, showing results as of 11:59 pm Eastern on June 20, 2020.
According to the data, 17,089 tests have returned positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Overall, 7.7 percent of IHS coronavirus tests are positive. But the rate is far higher, about 19.8 percent, in the Navajo Area, which serves the largest reservation in the United States.
The Phoenix Area, with19.5 percent of tests returning COVID-19 positive, and the Nashville Area, with nearly 12.1 percent positive, are also higher than the IHS national rate.
On the other end of the spectrum, aggressive efforts in the Alaska Area are turning up very few cases. Out of 36,234 tests administered in Alaska, only 0.23 returned positive, the data shows.
The data, however, is incomplete. While 100 percent of facilities run directly by the IHS are reporting data, only 33 percent of tribally managed facilities and 44 percent of urban Indian organizations are doing the same, the agency has told Indianz.Com.
The agency also provided to Indianz.Com the service population for 2019: 2,562,290. Based on that figure, 8.6 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives have been tested for the coronavirus since the IHS began reporting data in March.
The IHS user population, on the other hand, is a much smaller number. As of 2019, 1,662,834 American Indians and Alaska Natives have lived within a service delivery area and have received health care at an IHS or tribal facility during the previous three years.
Based on the user population, 13.3 percent of Native Americans have been tested for the coronavirus since the IHS began reporting data in March.
COVID-19 Cases by IHS Area
Data are reported from IHS, tribal, and urban Indian organization facilities, though reporting by tribal and urban programs is voluntary. Data reflect cases reported to the IHS through 11:59 pm on June 20, 2020.
| IHS Area | Tested | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 36,234 | 82 | 28,408 |
| Albuquerque | 16,418 | 912 | 11,145 |
| Bemidji | 11,398 | 322 | 10,453 |
| Billings | 19,423 | 308 | 17,554 |
| California | 3,642 | 153 | 2,935 |
| Great Plains | 16,141 | 788 | 14,437 |
| Nashville | 8,357 | 1008 | 6,717 |
| Navajo | 39,528 | 7,835 | 28,527 |
| Oklahoma City | 37,753 | 908 | 35,985 |
| Phoenix | 20,174 | 3,935 | 15,696 |
| Portland | 9,793 | 695 | 8,799 |
| Tucson | 2,496 | 143 | 2,244 |
| TOTAL | 221,357 | 17,089 | 182,900 |
IHS: https://www.ihs.gov/coronavirus/