The Navajo Nation 

Office of the President and Vice President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2022

294 new cases, 39,634 recoveries, and no deaths related to COVID-19, special online town hall to be held on Friday regarding rise in infections

WINDOW ROCK, Arizona – On Thursday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 294 new COVID-19 cases for the Navajo Nation and no deaths. The total number of deaths remains 1,592. The report indicates that 39,634 individuals have recovered from COVID-19. 425,612 COVID-19 tests have been administered. The overall total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 42,324, including 59 delayed reported cases.

Navajo Nation COVID-19 positive cases by Service Unit:

• Chinle Service Unit: 7,667
• Crownpoint Service Unit: 3,992
• Ft. Defiance Service Unit: 4,846
• Gallup Service Unit: 6,955
• Kayenta Service Unit: 3,616
• Shiprock Service Unit: 7,487
• Tuba City Service Unit: 5,262
• Winslow Service Unit: 2,477

* 22 residences with COVID-19 positive cases are not specific enough to place them accurately in a Service Unit.

On Thursday, the state of Arizona reported 10,679 new cases, the state of Utah reported 8,913 cases, and New Mexico reported 3,231. The Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President will host a special online town hall on Friday, Jan. 7 at 10:00 a.m. (MST) to provide important updates regarding the rise in COVID-19 cases on the Navajo Nation. The online town hall will be live-streamed on the Nez-Lizer Facebook page and YouTube channel. 

“The rise in new COVID-19 cases is very alarming, but we should not panic because we have the vaccines to help push back on the variants and we know what precautions we have to take to protect ourselves and others. The Omicron variant has been found within the Navajo Nation and it continues to spread very rapidly across the country. As we have stated all along, the safest place to be is at home here on the Navajo Nation where we have a face mask mandate, extra precautions in businesses, and other safety measures in place that are not in effect in border towns and other cities. Please inform your loved ones and elders and encourage them to get fully vaccinated, get a booster shot if they’re eligible, and wear two masks in public. We are in this together and we will overcome,” said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.

Health care facilities on the Navajo Nation continue to administer COVID-19 vaccines. If you would like to receive one of the COVID-19 vaccines, please contact your health care provider and schedule an appointment.

“We have to do more and we need to recommit ourselves to being more cautious and pushing back on COVID-19 in our communities. Our frontline workers are handling the pandemic with great poise and determination, but they need our help. Please be cautious in public, and continue to pray for our people,” said Vice President Myron Lizer. 

For more information, including helpful prevention tips, and resources to help stop the spread of COVID-19, visit the Navajo Department of Health’s COVID-19 website: http://www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/COVID-19. For COVID-19 related questions and information, call (928) 871-7014. 

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