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COVID-19 Cases Near Zero But 'We're Not Out Of The Woods,' Says Navajo Nation President

A sign urging safety measures during the  pandemic is seen in Teesto, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation on Feb. 11, 2021. (Felicia Fonseca/AP)
A sign urging safety measures during the pandemic is seen in Teesto, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation on Feb. 11, 2021. (Felicia Fonseca/AP)

Nearly one year ago, the Navajo Nation had the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rates in the country. More than 30,000 enrolled tribe members contracted the virus and 1,200 people died.

Now, however, new caseloads have dropped to only a handful and the nation recorded no new deaths for several days in a row.

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, who says the success is largely a result of a seismic vaccination effort with 219,663 doses administered.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.