COVID-19 and the Effects on Indigenous Tribes


Written by: Reilly Holmes



COVID-19 has been the number one news story for the past three months. The President has ordered a nation wide shut down of all non-essential businesses. Governors in every state have issued some sort of stay at home order of their own. This has affected different people in different ways. The Navajo Nation are some of the most of risk. With overcrowded housing, and overall inadequate healthcare it is a concern.
            Within health care there are racial disparities. Especially in Native American communities. According to the American Journal of Public health “Indigenous peoples across the globe have higher morbidity and mortality rates than their nonindigenous counterparts” (376). While other countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have recognized this health disparity and added financial aid the united states have not. “In the United States, where American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) have the lowest life expectancy of any racial/ethnic group,6 equivalent large-scale efforts do not exist Health disparities do not only exist, but are also worsening in some communities.''8 Yet, as life expectancy also stagnates or worsens for large segments of the US population9,10 achieving health equity for AI/ANs no longer seems a laudable goal. A new approach to health disparities intervention research is required. “(376).  
            COVID-19 currently has imposed a lot of issues within their own community. With the limited resources that they have, the tribal leaders are trying to minimize the viruses spread. They are telling people to stay home, or the consequences could be arrest. Other tribes have set up roadblocks to keep outsiders from infecting the tribe’s people. The overcrowding is 16 times higher than the national average, making social distancing impossible. Many overcrowd to make ends meet. Native Americans in the Navajo Nation also are hit with the economic side of this pandemic. Lockdowns have forced casinos, that provide valuable jobs and revenue, stop.




Sources:

Beyond Health Equity: Achieving wellness within American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. 376

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