Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Indian Health Service continues to work closely with our tribal partners and state and local public health officials to coordinate a comprehensive public health response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government is working closely with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, as well as public health partners, to respond to this public health threat.
The IHS formed a Critical Care Response Team [PDF] of expert physicians, registered nurses, and other healthcare professionals provide urgent lifesaving medical care on an as needed basis to COVID-19 patients admitted to IHS or tribal hospitals. The IHS has also rapidly deployed telehealth services both to maintain routine patient care and to allow critical care consultation for COVID-19 patients.
The IHS received over $2.4 billion in new funding to provide resources for IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs to prepare for and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. We have worked closely with tribes and urban Indian organizations throughout this pandemic to get resources out to facilities as quickly as possible. Additionally, the IHS has distributed rapid point-of-care testing systems and supplies and remdesivir [PDF], an investigational antiviral medicine to treat certain people in the hospital with COVID-19, at no cost to tribal and IHS facilities.
More information on the IHS response can be found in the IHS Covid-19 Response 100 Day Review [PDF – 411 KB] and Executive Summary [PDF – 207 KB]. This report covers actions taken by the IHS to support federal, tribal, and Urban Indian Organizations between March 6, 2020 through June 14, 2020.
For the latest general information about COVID-19, we encourage everyone to periodically review CDC’s COVID-19 webpage .
Timely Information
The IHS released agreements for participation in the CDC COVID-19 vaccine
program. These are specifically for programs that chose to receive their
vaccine through the IHS. This agreement includes program requirements for
appropriate vaccine distribution, management, and monitoring. As we move
closer to an FDA approved vaccine, it is extremely important that we
receive these agreements as soon as possible to
ensure access to the vaccine. DEADLINE is November 15, 2020. The IHS plans
to use this information to ensure equitable COVID-19 vaccine access for
tribes and urban Indian health programs as soon as a COVID-19 vaccine is
available. Read more in the IHS issued
Dear Tribal Leader
[PDF]
and
Dear Urban Indian Organization Leader
[PDF]
letters.
CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Tribal Health Program Agreement –
Vaccines Coordinated through IHS
[PDF]
CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Urban Indian Organization Agreement – Vaccines Coordinated through [PDF] IHS
Submit agreements to your respective Area Vaccine Point of Contact [PDF] .
Survey about your views on COVID-19 vaccine
The IHS COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force is conducting a survey to assist in planning efforts for COVID-19 vaccine allocation to healthcare personnel. If you work in a federal, tribal or urban healthcare facility (including paid staff, contractors, students and volunteers), we encourage you to please take the survey by November 20, 2020. The survey includes questions regarding your views about receiving COVID-19 vaccine. The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. Individual responses are anonymous and will not identify any individual.
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 November 16, 2020.
IHS Area |
Tested |
Positive |
Negative |
Cumulative percent positive * |
7-day rolling average positivity * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 331,517 | 6,226 | 283,486 | 2.1% | 4.4% |
| Albuquerque | 63,545 | 4,234 | 46,280 | 8.4% | 17.1% |
| Bemidji | 86,791 | 5,384 | 78,650 | 6.4% | 11.7% |
| Billings | 75,674 | 5,501 | 65,776 | 7.7% | 16.4% |
| California | 28,081 | 1,814 | 25,351 | 6.7% | 8.5% |
| Great Plains | 98,416 | 8,929 | 88,705 | 9.1% | 25.0% |
| Nashville | 38,221 | 2,741 | 34,380 | 7.4% | 6.2% |
| Navajo | 134,195 | 15,086 | 98,025 | 13.3% | 13.9% |
| Oklahoma City | 247,149 | 22,471 | 218,671 | 9.3% | 16.2% |
| Phoenix | 96,974 | 12,231 | 84,039 | 12.7% | 12.6% |
| Portland | 44,085 | 3,366 | 40,216 | 7.7% | 9.0% |
| Tucson | 9,410 | 782 | 8,527 | 8.4% | 14.9% |
| TOTAL | 1,254,058 | 88,765 | 1,072,106 | 7.6% | 12.1% |
* Cumulative percent positive and 7-day rolling average positivity are updated three days per week.
Website last updated November 17, 2020
