Diné Navajo Resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic.
<h4>Objective</h4>To date, there are no studies of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Navajo Nation, US. The primary objective of this manuscript is to understand whether counties with a higher proportion of Navajo (Diné) population also had higher cases and deaths of COVID-19 and whether...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272089 |
| _version_ | 1797839932573614080 |
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| author | Wilfred F Denetclaw Zara K Otto Samantha Christie Estrella Allen Maria Cruz Kassandra A Potter Kala M Mehta |
| author_facet | Wilfred F Denetclaw Zara K Otto Samantha Christie Estrella Allen Maria Cruz Kassandra A Potter Kala M Mehta |
| author_sort | Wilfred F Denetclaw |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Objective</h4>To date, there are no studies of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Navajo Nation, US. The primary objective of this manuscript is to understand whether counties with a higher proportion of Navajo (Diné) population also had higher cases and deaths of COVID-19 and whether these dropped with vaccination.<h4>Method</h4>We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of county level data from March 16, 2020-May 11, 2021. Data were obtained from public repositories and the US Census for the Navajo Nation, including northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. The primary outcome measure is the number of individuals with confirmed cases or deaths of COVID-19. A secondary outcome was COVID-19 vaccinations.<h4>Results</h4>The 11 counties in Navajo Nation have a wide variation in the percent Navajo population, the resources available (ICU beds and occupancy), and COVID-19 outcomes. Overall, there was a substantial increase in the number of cases from March 16 -July 16, 2020 (the height of the pandemic) with a doubling time of 10.12 days on Navajo Nation. The percent Navajo population was a strong predictor of COVID-19 cases and deaths per million population. COVID-19 vaccinations were inversely associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths in these counties.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic on the Navajo Nation is a story of resilience. Navajo Nation was one of the hardest hit areas of the United States, with peak cases and deaths due to COVID-19. With an aggressive vaccination effort, these cases and deaths were strikingly curtailed, showing the resilience of the Navajo (Diné) people. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:06:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4a02218959e64a06ab4629741302cc6c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:06:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-4a02218959e64a06ab4629741302cc6c2023-04-25T05:31:37ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01178e027208910.1371/journal.pone.0272089Diné Navajo Resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic.Wilfred F DenetclawZara K OttoSamantha ChristieEstrella AllenMaria CruzKassandra A PotterKala M Mehta<h4>Objective</h4>To date, there are no studies of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Navajo Nation, US. The primary objective of this manuscript is to understand whether counties with a higher proportion of Navajo (Diné) population also had higher cases and deaths of COVID-19 and whether these dropped with vaccination.<h4>Method</h4>We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of county level data from March 16, 2020-May 11, 2021. Data were obtained from public repositories and the US Census for the Navajo Nation, including northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. The primary outcome measure is the number of individuals with confirmed cases or deaths of COVID-19. A secondary outcome was COVID-19 vaccinations.<h4>Results</h4>The 11 counties in Navajo Nation have a wide variation in the percent Navajo population, the resources available (ICU beds and occupancy), and COVID-19 outcomes. Overall, there was a substantial increase in the number of cases from March 16 -July 16, 2020 (the height of the pandemic) with a doubling time of 10.12 days on Navajo Nation. The percent Navajo population was a strong predictor of COVID-19 cases and deaths per million population. COVID-19 vaccinations were inversely associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths in these counties.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic on the Navajo Nation is a story of resilience. Navajo Nation was one of the hardest hit areas of the United States, with peak cases and deaths due to COVID-19. With an aggressive vaccination effort, these cases and deaths were strikingly curtailed, showing the resilience of the Navajo (Diné) people.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272089 |
| spellingShingle | Wilfred F Denetclaw Zara K Otto Samantha Christie Estrella Allen Maria Cruz Kassandra A Potter Kala M Mehta Diné Navajo Resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS ONE |
| title | Diné Navajo Resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| title_full | Diné Navajo Resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| title_fullStr | Diné Navajo Resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diné Navajo Resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| title_short | Diné Navajo Resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| title_sort | dine navajo resilience to the covid 19 pandemic |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272089 |
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