Navajo Nation reports 16 more COVID-19 cases, but no deaths

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 16 more confirmed COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths.

The latest figures bring the pandemic totals on the tribe’s reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, increased to 30,198 cases.

The known death toll remains at 1,259.

On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez announced the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 B.1.429 variant on the Navajo Nation, which came from a test sample obtained in the Chinle service unit area.

The variant was first identified in the state of California and has since been detected across the southwest U.S.