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Posted: January 24, 2022

ihscovid19The Indian Health Service has updated its coronavirus data, showing results through January 23, 2022.

According to the data, 386,055 tests have returned positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. That represents an increase of nearly 3.1 percent from the 374,583 cases previously reported by the IHS on January 19.

The comparison, though, is based on cumulative tests. Based on the 7-day rolling positivity rates, the number of cases reported by the IHS has increased 280 percent since Christmas and by almost 97 percent since January 1.

Altogether, 3,883,054 coronavirus tests have been administered within the IHS, the results show. That represents an increase of almost 1.1 percent from four days prior.

Since mid-October of 2020, the IHS has been providing additional information about the spread of the coronavirus within the system. The cumulative percent positive column shows the historical COVID-19 infection rate, meaning the number of tests that have returned positive since the onset of the pandemic.

Based on the cumulative percent positive, the highest rates have been seen in five areas. Two of them include the state of Arizona, indicating a disproportionate toll of COVID-19 in the state:

On January 19, the Oklahoma City Area overtook the Phoenix Area as the region with the second highest percentage of cumulative percent positive tests. The two regions have nearly identical rates as of January 23.

The 7-day rolling average positivity column offers a more contemporary look at the impact of the coronavirus. The data shows where COVID-19 cases have been increasing recently.

Based on the 7-day rolling average positivity, all 12 IHS areas are seeing high COVID-19 rates, continuing the post-Christmas holiday surge across every region of Indian Country. 

Overall, 10.6 percent of IHS tests have been positive since the onset of the pandemic, the data shows. Meanwhile, the 7-day positivity rate has dramatically jumped to a whopping 34.6 percent following a short period of declining rates. High rates, yet still far below the current 7-day rate, were seen in Indian Country starting in the summer of 2021.

The data, however, is incomplete. While 100 percent of facilities run directly by the IHS are reporting data, only 33 percent of tribally managed facilities and 44 percent of urban Indian organizations are doing the same, the agency has told Indianz.Com.

Beginning June 7, 2021, the IHS began updating its coronavirus data on a weekly basis. But as the number of COVID-19 cases grows again, the agency is updating results on Mondays and Thursdays. During the height of the pandemic throughout 2020 and the first half of 2021, results were provided by the IHS every day.

COVID-19 Cases by IHS Area

Data are reported from IHS, tribal, and urban Indian organization facilities, though reporting by tribal and urban programs is voluntary. Data reflect cases reported to the IHS through 11:59 pm on January 23, 2022.

 
IHS Area
 
 
Tested
 
 
Positive
 
 
Negative
 
Cumulative
percent
positive
7-day rolling
average
positivity
Alaska 943,126 35,352 787,845 4.3% 19.6%
Albuquerque 134,668 11,875 101,887 10.4% 28.4%
Bemidji 271,742 24,985 245,813 9.2% 35.1%
Billings 142,101 11,294 126,698 8.2% 24.6%
California 150,194 15,441 127,954 10.8% 34.0%
Great Plains 222,744 22,047 199,763 9.9% 19.9%
Nashville 141,001 14,161 123,278 10.3% 42.8%
Navajo 428,609 56,997 308,020 15.6% 33.8%
Oklahoma City 918,009 132,867 771,929 14.7% 46.5%
Phoenix 269,940 39,117 229,483 14.6% 42.1%
Portland 199,911 16,015 183,314 8.0% 26.2%
Tucson 61,009 5,904 54,977 9.7% 46.6%
TOTAL 3,883,054 386,055 3,260,961 10.6% 34.6%

COVID-19 testing data is updated on Mondays and Thursdays by 5 pm ET.

Source: Indian Health Service (https://www.ihs.gov/coronavirus)
 
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