Coronavirus’ Impact on Native Americans in the United States

Written by: Billiana-Maria Marcheva

“Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,
11 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html.

In unprecedented circumstances such as those surrounding the current Coronavirus panic, Native Americans around the United States are in higher danger as their populations continue to be underfunded and low on resources as a consequence. The health impacts of the coronavirus on Native American society are perhaps more dangerous than they would be to other populations, as Native Americans throughout 573 federally recognized tribes in the United States are served by 12 Tribal Epidemiology Centers which are underfunded and do not have “the capacity to do good surveillance for the tribes regarding this” (Bennett-Begaye). Without adequate surveillance resources, the tribes have no way to receive fast and reliable updates, and currently, the “systems are just not in place in order to do good active surveillance” (Bennett-Begaye). Up-to-date surveillance is critical in order to research and formulate a plan for controlling the spread of the virus.

The coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, is “an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in China and which has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States” (“Coronavirus”). In the midst of schools temporarily shutting down and other public facilities taking steps to control and prevent an outbreak, Native American communities are concerned with not being able to maintain real-time data or act quickly enough to respond adequately.

According to Dean Seneca, an executive director of Seneca Scientific Solutions and member of the Seneca Nation, Native American “health care systems are really not in place, nor do we have experts, as physicians and nurses that know or are familiar with this kind of foreign virus” (Bennett-Begaye). The impacts this potentially holds over Native American society could be disastrous. One alarming factor contributing to the increased risk associated with COVID-19 is the possibility of an individual being infected with the virus and not showing symptoms for up to 14 days, making quarantining and acting quickly more challenging.

The Navajo Nation started a Coronavirus preparedness team. The president, Jonathan Nez, believes education and information are of utmost importance, stating that “this is a very serious health concern and it’s vital that we continue to provide information with everyone, including students, elderly and community members.” The Navajo Nation’s COVID-19 preparedness team is careful to support its community without overwhelming panic. President Nez spoke out in a public statement, sharing that, “Our administration is taking proactive measures to continue raising public awareness and to plan and prepare for the potential spread of COVID-19 virus in our region. The provisions outlined in the travel advisory are intended to raise awareness, to educate our Navajo people, and not to create unnecessary hysteria” (Locke). More specifically concerning the outbreak, Nez advised tribal members to limit their international and inter-state travel to lower the chances of being exposed to the Coronavirus.

The Coronavirus outbreak is uncharted territory, but the Native American community has been affected by similar health pandemics in the past - specifically, the Swine flu had a worse effect on Native Americans than other populations. Native Americans were “up to four times more likely to be hospitalized with the [Swine flu] virus” (Lyden). During the swine flu outbreak, 81 percent of Native Americans were considered part of a high risk category according to the CDC, which was a higher “risk for complications from flu compared to 78 percent of other racial and ethnic groups” (Lyden). If this is a predictor towards the effects of the Coronavirus, it is possible that Native Americans will require higher than average levels of support and healthcare in combating COVID-19. That being said, a little over ten years have passed since the swine flu epidemic, so it is an outdated indicator.

As for the current state of American Indian communities, the preventative measures are working, as the Navajo Nation shares that there are no COVID-19 cases on Hopi and Navajo areas reported as of March 10th, 2020. However, with 5.2 million Native Americans and Alaskan Natives across the country and limited funding available, it will be increasingly difficult to manage an outbreak. When it comes to raising funding and resources, the United States may not be helpful enough to Native American populations; as of February 13th, 2020, “tribal officials raised issues [to the federal government] ranging from polluted water to underfunded police,” expressing that “the government needs to be a more reliable partner on critical projects” (Gargiulo).

In the past, the Tribal Epidemiology Centers have been successful in handling various health projects, such as the Tribal Healthy Homes Project, which “address[ed] indoor radon concerns and establish[ed] a baseline of general housing conditions.” When it comes to funding, the Centers are supported partially by “through cooperative agreements with the IHS, other federal agencies (such as the CDC, NIH and OMH), and other organizations,” according to the Tribal Epidemiology Centers’ website.

Kevin English, the director of the Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center in Albuquerque, stated that “the center doesn’t have access to state health departments data that would allow it to track the respiratory virus in real time. However, tribes can request data from the state, and the center is to make sure they get that data” (Bennett-Begaye). As the COVID-19 situation escalates, the only way to stay ahead of the pandemic is to remain informed.

Sources

Bennett-Begaye, Jourdan. “'We Are Not Ready for This': Native American Tribes Struggle to Deal with Coronavirus.” The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Mar. 2020, www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2020/03/04/we-are-not-ready-this/.

“Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 11 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html.

Gargiulo, Joshua Gerard. “Tribal Officials Press for More, and More Predictable, Federal Funding.” The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Feb. 2020, www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2020/02/13/tribal-officials-press/.

“History.” Tribal Epidemiology Centers, tribalepicenters.org/history/.

Locke, Katherine. “Tribes Make Preparations for COVID-19, No Reported Cases on Hopi and Navajo Land.” Navajo-Hopi Observer News, 10 Mar. 2020, www.nhonews.com/news/2020/mar/10/tribes-make-preparations-covid-19-no-reported-case/.

Lyden, Jacki. “Native Americans Hit Hard By H1N1.” NPR, NPR, 21 Dec. 2009, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121712043.

Salazar, Martha. “Federal and State Recognized Tribes.” List of Federal and State Recognized Tribes, www.ncsl.org/research/state-tribal-institute/list-of-federal-and-state-recognized-tribes.aspx