Navajo Nation reports 79 new COVID-19 cases and 1 more death

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Berto Cortez, a CVS pharmacy technician, shows how COVID-19 tests are processed in a testing area set up by CVS at St. Vincent de Paul medical clinic, Monday, June 15, 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Navajo Nation health officials on Tuesday reported 79 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one additional death.

The latest figures bring the total number of known cases to 12,720 with 595 known deaths.

Tribal health officials said 133,733 people have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic started and 7,802 have recovered.

The Navajo Nation Department of Health previously issued a health advisory warning to residents about the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus that has affected 29 communities throughout the reservation, which spans more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Officials have urged residents to wear face masks, practice social distancing and limit gatherings to less than five people.

A daily curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. also remains in effect on the Navajo Nation.

Most people experience mild or moderate symptoms with the coronavirus, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But 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.