121 cases, 7 deaths added to COVID tallies for Navajo Nation

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FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2020 file photo Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey arrives for a COVID-19 briefing at St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix. Ducey has ordered the state's hospitals, testing labs and other health care facilities to keep reporting detailed COVID-19 information. (Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via AP, File)

cThe Navajo Nation has reported an additional 121 known COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths, increasing its totals to 15,374 cases and 638 deaths.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

Navajo Nation officials continued to urge the public not to hold in-person gatherings with non-household members on Thanksgiving Day due to COVID-19 risks.

“By inviting guests and other relatives into your home, you are creating substantial risks for you and your family members,” tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement Tuesday night. “We have to be diligent and make good choices, which aren’t the easiest.

The nation’s sprawling reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, is under a three-week stay-home lockdown to curb spread of the coronavirus.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.