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Indian Health Service (Department of Health and Human Services)

ihscovid19 Indian Health Service COVID-19 Data

Indian Health Service COVID-19 Data

ihscovid19The Indian Health Service has updated its coronavirus data, showing results through January 18, 2023.

According to the data, 569,750 tests have returned positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

On July 24, 2022, the IHS reached a milestone. According to the results, over a half-million IHS patients have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic in Indian Country more than two years ago.

Based on the IHS service population of 2,562,290 from 2019, the figure means that 22.2 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives have been positive for the coronavirus.

Based on the IHS user population of 1,662,834, nearly 34.3 percent have tested positive. The user population is defined as the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives who have lived within a service delivery area and have received health care at an IHS or tribal facility during the previous three years.

Altogether, 5,112,023 coronavirus tests have been administered within the IHS, the results show. The number of tests surpassed 5 million on December 4, 2022, according to the data.

Since mid-October of 2020, the IHS has been providing additional information about the spread of the coronavirus within the system. The cumulative percent positive column shows the historical COVID-19 infection rate, meaning the number of tests that have returned positive since the onset of the pandemic.

Based on the cumulative percent positive, the highest rates have been seen in five of 12 IHS areas. Two of them include the state of Arizona, indicating a disproportionate toll of COVID-19 in the state:

The Phoenix Area has overtaken the Oklahoma City Area as the region with the second highest percentage of cumulative percent positive tests. Still, the two regions have virtually the same cumulative positivity rate as of January 19.

The 7-day rolling average positivity column offers a more contemporary look at the impact of the coronavirus. The data shows where COVID-19 cases have been increasing recently in the 12 areas of the IHS.

Overall, 11.8 percent of IHS tests have been positive since the onset of the pandemic, the data shows. Meanwhile, the 7-day positivity rate has risen in recent weeks to 10.6 percent.

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.

Beginning June 7, 2021, the IHS began updating its coronavirus data on a weekly basis. But as the number of COVID-19 cases grows again, the agency is updating results twice a week — usually on Mondays and Thursdays. Throughout 2020 and the first half of 2021, results were provided by the IHS every day.

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 Jan 18, 2023.

 
IHS Area
 
 
Tested
 
 
Positive
 
 
Negative
 
Cumulative
percent
positive
7-day rolling
average
positivity
Alaska 1,132,505 56,524 925,510 5.8% 17.8%
Albuquerque 184,329 17,412 142,097 10.9% 2.2%
Bemidji 329,456 34,327 293,575 10.5% 20.1%
Billings 163,091 14,419 143,776 9.1% 3.9%
California 206,435 23,590 172,591 12.0% 5.8%
Great Plains 310,930 33,308 273,105 10.9% 3.5%
Nashville 205,930 22,439 172,981 11.5% 15.1%
Navajo 609,200 90,446 439,036 17.1% 7.1%
Oklahoma 1,280,426 192,121 1,077,411 15.1% 13.2%
Phoenix 342,988 52,281 288,144 15.4% 6.3%
Portland 260,786 23,109 237,067 8.9% 8.2%
Tucson 85,947 9,774 75,892 11.4% 5.9%
TOTAL 5,112,023 569,750 4,241,185 11.8% 10.6%

COVID-19 testing data is updated on Mondays and Thursdays by 5 pm ET.

Data Source: Indian Health Service (https://www.ihs.gov/coronavirus)

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