Navajo Nation reports 110 new COVID-19 cases, 3 more deaths

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Lummi Nation member James Scott (native name Qwelexwbed), left, receives the first COVID-19 vaccination on the Lummi Reservation by registered nurse Alyssa Lane, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, near Bellingham, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Navajo Nation health officials on Monday reported 110 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths.

The latest figures increased the tribe’s totals since the pandemic began to 23,841 cases and 822 known deaths.

Health officials said nearly 208,000 people have been tested for the coronavirus on the reservation and more than 12,000 have recovered.

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

Meanwhile on Monday, the Navajo Department of Health identified 73 communities with uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 on the tribe’s vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The Navajo Nation has renewed a mandated lockdown requiring all residents to stay home except for emergencies, shopping for essentials like food and medicine or traveling to an essential job. The lockdown is slated to last until Jan. 11.

Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.