SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The Native American population makes up about 9% of South Dakotas estimated 884,659 residents. But the population accounts for about 13% of all coronavirus deaths in the state, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
The COVID Tracking Project lists that Native Americans account for 8% of the population but account for 14% of all COVID-19 deaths and cases in South Dakota. The percentage is flagged because the 14% is at least 33% higher than the census percentage of population, remains elevated whether cases/deaths with unknown race/ethnicity are included or excluded and is based on at least 30 cases or deaths, according to tracking project.
As of Nov. 10, the death rate for American Indian and Alaska Natives, (the definition used by the Centers for Disease Control and other tracking) was 108.3 per 100,000 as of Nov. 10, according to the APM Research Lab. That was slightly lower than the 113.3 rate for blacks. APMs data is tracked from April 13 through Nov. 10. The rate for white Americans was 61.7 per 100,000 as of Nov. 10.
The COVID-19 situation on tribal lands in South Dakota has prompted two Native American legislators to ask Gov. Kristi Noem to establish a mask mandate. Rep. Peri R. Pourier and Sen. Red Dawn Foster said the mask mandate is needed to protect the citizens and communities they represent as well as all South Dakotans.
The CDC released a study on Aug. 28 that said in 23 states with adequate race/ethnicity data, the cumulative incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among American Native or Alaska Native persons was 3.5 times that among non-Hispanic white persons.
The age of Native Americans dying from COVID-19 from May through August was younger than the trend in the U.S., according to the CDC. Most deaths in the indigenous population were under 65.
In South Dakota, the majority of all deaths in all races combined are 60 and over, according to the state DOH. The state does not break down age of death by race.
In Buffalo County in the Crow Creek Indian Reservation, the American Indian population makes up about 82% of the population.
As of Nov. 30, there have been eight deaths in the county with a 2019 estimated population of 1,962 and 378 cases. The death rate per 100,000 people in the county is 390, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The death rate for American Indian and Alaskan Native population is 172 deaths per 100,000, according to the COVID-19 Tracking Project.
The COVID-19 death rate in Buffalo County is lower than four South Dakota counties with a greater percentage of a white population. Jerauld Countys rate is 641 per 100,000, Turner Countys is 508, Gregory Countys is 476 and Falk Countys is 431.
A portion of the Rosebud Indian Reservation is in Gregory County.
Buffalo County has a lower percentage of persons 65 and over than the other four counties. The CDC has listed those 65 and over as more vulnerable to COVID-19. The countys estimated 2019 population was 1,962 with 7.5% age 65 and older.
The American Indian or Native American population in the U.S. has several factors that make it more vulnerable to COVID-19, according to research and reports.
The Native American population in the U.S. has significant health disparities, including chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Those types of underlying conditions can make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Research on Native American Health cites various factors that contribute to health issues in that population. One factor is the perceived trust barriers. Also, historical trauma, boarding schools, poverty and other factors contribute to health issues in the population, according to other studies.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The coronavirus ride will continue and the public cant take their foot off the gas yet, officials said Nov. 30 during the city of Sioux Falls coronavirus news briefing.
We have several more months of mitigation that we really have to practice, Mayor Paul TenHaken said. Remaining diligent and finishing well over these next couple months is going to be very very important.
Dr. David Basel of Avera Health said COVID-19 cases and hospitalization have leveled in the Sioux Falls area have leveled in the past several days but they are still at high numbers. The leveling is encouraging, but it doesnt mean the public can relax, Basel said.
We cant take our foot off the gas or things will just start right back increasing again, Basel said.
City and health officials have urged the public to wear masks, social distance, avoid even small gatherings, practice good hand washing and take other measures to slow the spread of coronavirus during the November news conference.
TenHaken, Basel and Dr. Mike Wilde of Sanford said the recent COVID-19 numbers show the public has been more diligent in those advised practices.
Hospitalizations in the Sioux Falls area were at 209 on Nov. 17 and 189 on Nov. 30. New daily cases were at 295 on Nov. 17 and 264 on Nov. 29 and 80 on Nov. 30.
While the numbers and the news of the upcoming likelihood of approved COVID-19 vaccines are encouraging, the next one to two weeks will reveal how diligent the public was over Thanksgiving.
Well see what sort of diligence was practiced over the last week, TenHaken said.And well see what those numbers look like a week from now.
Basel said Avera expects a small increase in COVID-19 cases after Thanksgiving and hopes not to see a large increase.
Sanford has two models to project the spread after Thanksgiving in the next two weeks, Wilde said.
We have two models that really anticipate a good response to a lot of the messaging around Thanksgiving, he said.
One model starts to show a decline in the next couple of weeks with a second model that shows a slight increase followed by a decline, Wilde said.
But, if the public relaxes on safety precautions or disregards them, the numbers will change, the two doctors and TenHaken said.
The Rapid City Council will consider issuing a mask mandate for the city during a special meeting on Monday. The resolution would require face coverings in certain situations but would have no enforcement or penalty.
A former gas station and mechanic shop has been re-purposed into a holiday shopping destination in the town of Colton. The building was home to Howie's Service from 1950 to 2010. But now the owners have converted the space into Dust to Dawn, a furniture and decorations business, which held its soft-opening on Saturday.
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) The Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health District reported Monday nine more deaths related to COVID-19 over Thanksgiving weekend.
Case 4,852 (60 69), Case 5,206 (70 79), Case 3,811 (60 69), Case 5,113 (60 69), Case 5,234 (70 79), Case 5,315 (50 59), Case 5,866 (60 69), Case 5,590 (80+) and Case 4,047 (60 69) brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Wichita County since the pandemic began in March to 133.
No further information will be released out of respect for the families.
For more information on COVID-19 related deaths and how they are reported, click here.
Please find the age breakdown of COVID-19 related deaths in Wichita County to date below:
The Public Health District also confirmed Monday 302 new coronavirus cases in the county since Wednesday, November 25, bringing the current total case number to 7,120.
93 new cases were confirmed Friday, November 27, 38 were confirmed Saturday, 30 were confirmed Sunday, and 141 were confirmed Monday.
The positivity rate during the week of Thanksgiving was 42%.
Communication and Marketing Director Lindsay Barker also reported Monday 304 new recoveries from COVID-19 bringing the total number of recoveries in the county to 4,340.
There are currently 2,647 active COVID-19 cases in Wichita County with 2,561 patients recovering from home.
86 COVID-19 patients were listed as hospitalized in Mondays COVID-19 report for Wichita County with 20 patients reported to be in critical condition.
Please find the hospitalization report below:
Officials with United Regional Health Care System said Monday, November 30 there are currently 98 patients with a positive COVID-19 test or who are suspected of having COVID-19, with 26 in critical care.
City and county leaders released a COVID-19 public service announcement Tuesday afternoon and a letter Wednesday morning urging the public to do their part in containing the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
During Health Director Lou Kreidlers regular update at this Tuesdays City Council meeting, she implored all of us to take the necessary steps to protect each other.
I know we all want to be together and to celebrate all the things we are thankful for and just gather with our friends and family but now is not the time, Kreidler said. I implore you to make wise choices for you and your family and for the community.
In partnership with the Wichita Falls Wichita County Public Health District, GoGetTested will be providing fast, easy and accessible COVID-19 testing for all.
GoGetTested has opened its COVID Response Operating System and mobile testing sites in Wichita Falls at the MPEC, located at 1000 5th Street in Wichita Falls.
All tests are free of charge, regardless of whether or not the individual being tested is insured.
Hours of operation for the site are 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. You can schedule an appointment online, although an appointment is not required in order to be tested.
Hotline hours are 8 a.m.5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and noon2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The Health District would like to remind everyone that coronavirus is now in our community and that the decisions we make now regarding social distancing and following the guidelines set by the CDC will directly impact how quickly our community recovers from this virus.
If anyone has questions and concerns regarding COVID-19 in Wichita County, click below to submit them to the health department via e-mail.
Photo by Jacob Aere
Above: A nurse administers a COVID-19 nasal swab test to Simon Law at the Tubman Chavez Community Center, Nov. 30, 2020.
Local health officials expect a surge in COVID-19 testing after Thanksgiving, as travelers return from holiday gatherings.
Health officials are urging anyone who traveled or gathered over the Thanksgiving holiday to get tested and quarantine for 14 days to avoid an even more significant surge in cases.
Andrea LaCroix, professor and chief of epidemiology at UC San Diego, said testing is imperative for those who did not abide by CDC guidelines and recommendations for the holiday.
If youre out and about and you went to a holiday gathering, you were in the airports, you were in the restaurants or restrooms and you got infected, it is important to get tested, she said. If you are positive you can get yourself out of the community and back into your house where you won't be spreading it around more widely.
The amount of recent travel and rise in cases may also lead to long lines at testing sites, like seen on Monday at the Tubman Chavez Community Center.
Leslee Buluran was waiting in line there because one of her coworkers tested positive for the virus.
I have people under my household that have a lot of underlying health issues and I want to make sure that I am always cautious. This is one of the steps that I do to protect myself and my household, Buluran said.
She believes people can abide by health guidelines and still enjoy the holiday season.
I feel like we still have time, as long as everybody wears their masks and stays inside as much as possible and hopefully we can enjoy the holidays, Buluran said.
RELATED: Defying Warnings, Millions In The US Travel For Thanksgiving
Lacroix says the rest of the holiday season will likely bring even higher case counts and COVID-19 deaths unless further measures are taken to abide by CDC guidelines.
It just makes me want to cry for our population because I just think it's going to be an enormous amount of pain these next two months, she said.
San Diego County has over 35 testing locations throughout the region. To book an appointment or find a non-appointment test site go to sandiegocounty.gov or call 2-1-1.
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Healthcare Doina Chiacu Peter Szekely
WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - After a Thanksgiving weekend when the number of people traveling through U.S. airports reached its highest since mid-March, a top government official said on Monday some Americans could begin receiving coronavirus vaccinations before Christmas.
U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar said Pfizer Incs COVID-19 vaccine could be authorized and shipped within days of a Dec. 10 meeting of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration tasked with reviewing trial data and recommending whether it warrants approval. A vaccine from Moderna Inc could follow a week later, he said, after the company announced on Monday that it would apply for U.S. and European emergency authorization.
So we could be seeing both of these vaccines out and getting into peoples arms before Christmas, Azar said on CBS This Morning.
The federal government will ship the vaccines. State governors will decide how they are distributed within their states.
They will be determining which groups to be prioritized, Azar said, adding that he and Vice President Mike Pence will speak to all the nations governors later on Monday to discuss the vaccines and how to prioritize them for distribution.
The United States has reported more than 4 million new COVID-19 cases so far in November and more than 35,000 coronavirus-related deaths, according to a Reuters tally. Hospitalizations are at a pandemic high and deaths the most in six months.
As the virus rages across the country, overwhelming hospital systems and pushing already exhausted medical staff near a breaking point, U.S. officials pleaded with Americans to avoid travel and limit social gatherings as the nation entered the winter holiday season. Many appear to have disregarded those pleas over the long Thanksgiving weekend as the Transportation Security Administration screened 1.18 million airline passengers on Sunday, the highest since mid-March.
That number is still about 60% lower than the comparable day last year when 2.88 million passengers were screened, the highest ever recorded by the agency.
There almost certainly is going to be an uptick because of what has happened with the travel, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nations top infectious diseases experts, told ABCs This Week program on Sunday.
With the latest wave of the virus spiking across the country and no federal blueprint to combat it, more than 20 states have issued new or revamped restrictions on businesses, schools and social life.
But in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio reversed course on Sunday, announcing that public schools would start to reopen for in-class instruction five days a week for students who want to attend full time. Previously, students were offered a mix of online and in-person instruction.
The schools in the countrys largest system were closed less than two weeks ago after the citywide rate of coronavirus tests coming back positive exceeded a 3% benchmark agreed to by the mayor and the teachers union.
De Blasio said schools would begin to reopen for in-person learning on Dec. 7, starting with elementary schools for students whose parents agree to a weekly testing regimen for the novel coronavirus.
On Monday, the mayor said he hoped to reopen middle school and high school buildings early next year, as the schools system needed time to ramp up its testing program, which will be done weekly instead of monthly.
Weve proven the schools could be extraordinarily safe, and the schools are some of the safest places to be right now in New York City, de Blasio told CNN.
Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and Peter Szekely in New York; Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Maria Caspani in New York; Writing by Maria Caspani; Editing by Bill Berkrot
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The poll found 62% of North Dakotans would take a no-cost vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent the coronavirus. Seventeen percent said they would not take that step, while 21% were not sure.
Molly Howell, the immunization program manager for the North Dakota Department of Health, said their goal is to have 70% of eligible residents accept the vaccine, a number she said national experts indicate is needed to achieve herd immunity and prevent ongoing virus transmission.
I think for right now, thats an acceptable amount of people who would be willing to take the vaccine, Howell said, noting that there are lingering questions about the pending vaccines. I think right now, its OK for people to feel a little hesitant.
Dr. Paul Carson, an infectious disease specialist and public health professor at North Dakota State University, was also encouraged by the poll results and said the number of unsure respondents puts the state within reach of the 70% goal.
The poll was commissioned by the North Dakota Newspaper Association in partnership with North Dakota United, the education and public workers union. It surveyed 400 people across the state about various aspects of the pandemic.
Pollsters were gathering responses when news first arrived that drugmakers had developed highly effective vaccines, providing a much-needed hope that the fight against COVID-19 was about to turn a corner.
But inoculating a large amount of the population will take time. Health care workers and those living in long-term care facilities are likely the first in line for a vaccine, with teachers, police and people with underlying health conditions following, Howell said. Members of the general public may have to wait until spring, she said.
Until then, health experts are urging people to take precautions like wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding crowds.
National polls have shown Americans attitudes about taking a vaccine have shifted as the pandemic wears on.
Two-thirds of respondents to a Gallup survey said in July that they would take an FDA-approved, no-cost vaccine, but that number dipped to 50% in September before rising to 58% a month later. People who said they wouldnt get inoculated cited the vaccines hurried development and said they wanted to make sure it was safe.
A draft vaccination plan from the North Dakota Department of Health, dated mid-October, acknowledges that only half of Americans appear to be willing to get vaccinated. It said the process for allocating a vaccine needs to balance expediting vaccination with risks of wastage if people are hesitant to take it.
Nashville-based Coda Ventures, which performed the NDNA online poll, did not question North Dakotans on reasons for their wariness.
Howell said vaccines are going through a rigorous approval process despite the quickened development. She lamented that the issue has been politicized in recent months and urged people to seek out information from credible sources.
The last thing anyone wants is a vaccine that is not safe, is not effective and will hurt confidence that we will routinely use in the United States, Howell said.
This right now this November, December, January, February looks like its going to be the peak time in terms of transmission of COVID-19, she said. Beyond that, she added, health officials are hopeful that the vaccines will have an impact on the virus spread. I think 2021, especially the second half of 2021, will look much better.
OHSU invites people living in the Portland area to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trial KATU
As a Black man and a nurse practitioner working at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Long Beach, Walter Perez hears a lot of cringeworthy stuff from his Black patients.
Like how the forthcoming COVID-19 vaccines wont be safe because Big Pharma is cutting corners to make more money. Or how the medical establishment wants to use Black people as guinea pigs to test those vaccines. Or how the vaccines could actually prove more harmful than getting COVID-19.
The list goes on.
The only way I can describe it is theres a paranoia, Perez said. A lot of people are just really paranoid about it.
Indeed, across the U.S., only 32% of Black adults say they would definitely or probably take a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Pew Research Center. Another study by the COVID Collaborative and the NAACP found that most Black people dont believe a vaccine will be safe or effective, and dont plan to get it.
In California, its even worse, with fewer than 30% of Black people saying they would probably or definitely get vaccinated the lowest percentage of any racial group surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California, though Latinos werent far behind.
That we are here with Black people, alongside Latinos, still disproportionately dying of COVID-19, and Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca on the verge of rolling out their lifesaving vaccines comes as no surprise to Black people.
Many of us grew up hearing stories as children about how Black men were left to suffer during the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and, as adults, have lived out our own stories of fighting through disparities to try to get adequate care.
In my whole life, Ive never had a Black doctor. Im 43 years old. As of last year, only about 2.6% of the nations physicians and 7.3% of students in medical school this year were Black. Because of persistent inequities in education and household income, those numbers havent changed since I was born. Considering the many studies that show Black people tend to have better outcomes when treated by trusted Black doctors and nurses, this is a problem.
All of which is why convincing millions of skeptical Black people to get vaccinated a crucial step toward achieving a herd immunity of about 70% and bringing the pandemic under control wont be as simple as many elected and public health officials would hope.
In the same way that the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis made plain how this country has never truly dealt with its history of systemic racism in policing, the COVID-19 pandemic has made plain the unaddressed history of distrust and systemic racism in the nations healthcare system.
Perez and his fellow Black nurses and doctors understand this better than most. And they rightfully want a reckoning.
Is there mistrust for vaccines and for the healthcare system in Black communities? Yes. But that mistrust is very well earned, said Dr. Tiffani Johnson, an emergency physician in the pediatric ward of UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. So I think that we, as physicians and researchers and healthcare systems, need to take a step back and instead of saying, Why wont Black folks trust us? say, What have we done to earn trust?
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So far, most plans for the COVID-19 vaccines have focused on the relatively easier issue of access, which is understandable. These are desperate times.
The disease has already killed some 266,000 Americans. Coronavirus cases are multiplying at a terrifying pace, with about 1 in 145 people infected and contagious in Los Angeles County, as of last week. Thanksgiving plans were upended and new shutdown orders and curfews have again thrown small-business owners into chaos.
So, hoping to bring this pandemic to an end sooner rather than later, California is preparing to barrel ahead with mass vaccinations, starting with healthcare workers and other first responders. In L.A., public health officials are working on ways to store and distribute doses once they become available in a few weeks.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom assured Californians that an equity lens is part of our focus. In other words, ensuring that communities of color have access to the vaccines is a top priority which is the way it should be. But that could backfire because the problem isnt so much access as it is trust.
Dr. Flojaune Cofer, an epidemiologist and a senior director of policy at the statewide nonprofit Public Health Advocates, describes it as three hot takes that add up to a no-win scenario.
The first option for counties is to roll out the vaccines to everyone at the same time, ignoring the fact that Black, Latino and Indigenous populations are getting COVID-19 at higher rates and are dying of it at younger ages than the rest of the population. That will lead to accusations that theres no equity because youre just giving it to everybody all willy-nilly at the same time.
The second option is to target Black people and roll it out in the neighborhoods that have logged the most cases. But then, Cofer said, people are going to say, Oh, no! Youre not gonna experiment on us like you did with Tuskegee.
The third option is to roll it out specifically to white people living in neighborhoods that havent been hit as hard by COVID-19. But then, Black people will say, So youre going to save yourselves and leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves?
And all three of those hot takes, Cofer added, are absolutely valid and correct.
::
So whats the solution then? I suspect that recommendations from a number of Black doctors who have agreed to vet federal regulators decisions about COVID-19 vaccines will help allay peoples fears. But, in the meantime, so will honesty and humility.
We have to come out and say: Look, vaccines have helped human history. And we want to hopefully get to the place where you feel comfortable taking a vaccine, Cofer said. We recognize some of you are ready tomorrow, and some of you wont be ready for several years. And thats OK.
Eric J. Williams, a past president of the National Black Nurses Assn. and interim associate dean of health sciences at Santa Monica College, said he expects Black nurses and doctors to play an outsize role in persuading other Black people to get vaccinated.
One reason is they will be leading by example, as healthcare workers will be among the first to be vaccinated. Theyll be the real guinea pigs.
Another reason is that nurses, in particular, are used to teaching. Perez, for example, says he turns to facts when patients confront him with conspiracy theories, and uses examples about the importance of vaccines, such as how many Indigenous people wouldve been saved if theyd had access to the smallpox vaccine.
We teach every day when we do interactions with patients and their families and the community, Williams said.
Looking ahead, though, the real solution must be about rebuilding public trust in the nations healthcare system, which is something that Black nurses and doctors have been calling on their white peers to do for decades.
That more than 13 million Americans have been infected with a potentially lethal virus and millions of others of all races would rather take their chances catching it than take a vaccine speaks volumes. Thats not a problem Black doctors and nurses can fix alone, nor should they be asked to.
If you want patients to get vaccinated, we also need to do our part in order to kind of create trustworthiness in the community, Johnson said. I think that there needs to be a call to action for all healthcare providers to think about that.
