Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native American tribes and tribal communities

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native American tribes and tribal communities has been severe and has emphasized underlying inequalities in Native American communities compared to the majority of the American population.^[1][2] The pandemic exacerbated existing healthcare and other economic and social disparities between Native Americans and other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Along with black Americans, Latinos, and Pacific Islanders, the death rate in Native Americans due to COVID-19 was twice that of white and Asian Americans,^[3] with Native Americans having the highest mortality rate of all racial and ethnic groups nationwide.^[3] As of January 5, 2021, the mortality impact in Native American populations from COVID-19 was 1 in 595 or 168.4 deaths in 100,000, compared to 1 in 1,030 for white Americans and 1 in 1,670 for Asian Americans.^[3] Prior to the pandemic, Native Americans were already at a higher risk for infectious disease and mortality than any other group in the United States.^[4]