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Posted: July 25, 2022

ihscovid19The Indian Health Service has updated its coronavirus data, showing results through July 24, 2022.

According to the data, 500,414 tests have returned positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. That represents an increase of 1.2 percent from a week prior on July 17.

The updated data also marks a milestone. More than a half-million IHS patients have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic in Indian Country more than two years ago.

Based on the IHS service population of 2,562,290 from 2019, the figure means that 19.5 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives have been positive for the coronavirus.

Based on the IHS user population of 1,662,834, 30.1 percent have tested positive. The user population is defined as the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives who have lived within a service delivery area and have received health care at an IHS or tribal facility during the previous three years.

Altogether, 4,587,481 coronavirus tests have been administered within the IHS, the results show. That represents an increase of 0.8 percent from the week 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 of 12 IHS 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. But the two regions still have nearly the same cumulative positivity rate as of July 24.

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 in the 12 areas of the IHS.

Overall, 11.6 percent of IHS tests have been positive since the onset of the pandemic, the data shows. Meanwhile, the 7-day positivity rate has been steadily rising in the last couple of weeks. It has grown significantly to 21.1 percent, one of the highest rates seen since the 2021 Christmas holiday season.

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 twice a week — usually on Mondays and Thursdays. 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 Jul 24, 2022.

 
IHS Area
 
 
Tested
 
 
Positive
 
 
Negative
 
Cumulative
percent
positive
7-day rolling
average
positivity
Alaska 1,085,278 53,159 891,093 5.6% 13.4%
Albuquerque 153,649 14,628 118,408 11.0% 24.7%
Bemidji 308,935 30,928 276,503 10.1% 25.3%
Billings 156,535 13,696 138,111 9.0% 19.3%
California 183,302 21,214 154,470 12.1% 30.0%
Great Plains 257,234 26,744 228,382 10.5% 11.2%
Nashville 180,983 19,015 151,984 11.1% 32.7%
Navajo 520,332 75,955 374,705 16.9% 27.2%
Oklahoma 1,109,210 168,355 930,208 15.3% 22.4%
Phoenix 311,395 47,178 261,527 15.3% 30.0%
Portland 239,745 20,452 218,672 8.6% 18.8%
Tucson 80,883 9,090 71,524 11.3% 22.2%
TOTAL 4,587,481 500,414 3,815,587 11.6% 21.1%

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

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

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