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Jan. 26, 2021 - Quinault Indian Nation beats back a pandemic
1/26/2021 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
On the Olympic Peninsula, the Quinault Indian Nation beats back a pandemic.
Native communities throughout the U.S. have been hit hard by COVID-19, and to combat this, many are adapting.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS
Crosscut Now
Jan. 26, 2021 - Quinault Indian Nation beats back a pandemic
1/26/2021 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Native communities throughout the U.S. have been hit hard by COVID-19, and to combat this, many are adapting.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Since the coronavirus pandemic hit the US last spring, it's brought disproportionate risks for native communities throughout the country.
Data from the CDC shows that American-Indian and Alaska native people are almost four times more likely to contract COVID-19 than white people.
Indigenous nations can enforce stricter, quicker measures to combat the virus than neighboring cities, but that also requires a lot of effort and coordination.
In the months before the virus hit their reservation, the Quinault Indian Nation developed strict guidelines for people who became exposed, including 14 days of isolation with food and other necessities delivered to the person's front step, leaving no reason to leave the house.
In November and December, seven members died as a result of COVID-19.
But change is on the horizon.
The Indian Health Service was prioritized for distributing vaccines to tribes, and in December, native communities throughout Washington were among the first to receive them.
I'm Starla Sampaco, find nonprofit Northwest news and culture every day on crosscut.com.
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