WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Navajo Nation health officials have reported 17 additional cases of coronavirus with one additional death.
That put the number of positive COVID-19 cases on the reservation at 7,549 as of Tuesday night with the known death toll at 364.
Reports from a dozen health care facilities on and near the Navajo Nation indicate some 5,218 have recovered and at least 55,626 people have been tested so far.
Navajo Nation officials have extended the closure of tribal government offices and ordered residents to stay home for another three weeks as the number of coronavirus cases rises outside the reservation.
The restrictions had been set to expire July 5. They are now in place until July 26 and include three more weekend lockdowns.
The reservation stretches into northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah.
The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough for most people.
But for some – especially older adults and people with existing health problems – it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
