Navajo Nation reports no COVID-19 related deaths for 8th day

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation is finding no new COVID-19 related deaths for an eighth consecutive day.

The tribe on Sunday afternoon reported seven new virus cases but no additional deaths on the vast reservation.

The latest numbers bring the Navajo Nation’s pandemic case total to 30,366 with the death toll remaining at 1,262. Tribal officials said 16,477 people have recovered from COVID-19 thus far.

The tribe slowed its reopening process somewhat after coronavirus variants were confirmed on the reservation, which stretches into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.

Tribal officials have urged residents to stay vigilant. They say a recent cluster was due to a family gathering with no masks.