Survey: American Indians, Alaska Natives more open to COVID vaccine

WASHINGTON — American Indians and Alaska Natives are more willing than whites to be vaccinated for COVID-19, despite distrust of the government and a lack of access to facilities that administer the doses, according to a new national survey.

In Nevada, Rulon Pete, the executive director of the Las Vegas Indian Center, said distrust of government programs, as well as the lack of information and sufficient supplies, were the largest hurdles facing American Indians.

The national survey was conducted for the Urban Indian Health Institute and surveyed American Indians and Alaska Natives in 46 states, with 1,435 people representing 318 tribes participating.

The survey included American Indians and Alaska Natives in Nevada, 97 percent of whom live in rural areas, according to the Nevada Indian Commission.

“This data will be important to all organizations conducting COVID-19 vaccine education efforts,” said Abigail Echo-Hawk, the health institute’s director. “Native communities have unique challenges and needs that usually are not considered.”

For example, American Indian and Alaska Natives continue to be disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The coronavirus incidence and mortality rates are 3.5 and 1.8 times those of non-Hispanic whites, respectively, according to the health institute.

While there has been concern about the vaccine in Native communities, 75 percent of those who participated in the study said they would be willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. That’s higher than the national average of 64 percent, according to an Ipsos poll in October 2020.

Wary of the vaccine

Still, there is a hesitancy among Native communities.

“Fear and distrust of government and medical systems still exists in our community, which are hurdles that we have to overcome,” Echo-Hawk said.

Pete said those same attitudes persist among the Native community in Nevada. He said the percentage of those willing to take a vaccine in Nevada may be lower than the national percentage.

“There is still that stigma there,” Pete said, noting a long history of strained relations between the government and tribes in the Southwest.

About 72 percent of survey participants said they wanted evidence that the vaccine was safe in the short and long term.

Many American Indians suffer from other ailments such as heart disease and diabetes, which makes them wary of the vaccine that was rushed into production due to the deadly nature of the pandemic, Pete said.

Meanwhile, the national study also found that of those eligible, about 39 percent reported difficulty in traveling to a site where vaccines are distributed.

Hard to find

American Indians and Alaska Natives make up roughly 2 percent of the Nevada population, with about 38,026 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The population of Native people in Las Vegas could be higher than census numbers indicate, with the more transient nature of the city and residents moving in from neighboring states, Pete said.

Native communities can receive vaccines through state- and county-run vaccination centers, pharmacies or those run by tribal centers, like the Las Vegas Paiute Health and Human Services clinic.

Many American Indians in the Las Vegas area prefer the clinic due to the comfort of it being operated by Paiute tribe, Pete said.

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., and Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick toured vaccination centers in the Las Vegas area Thursday to observe operations and talk with those administering the shots.

Horsford said the Biden administration has deployed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help administer the vaccines in Nevada.

Horsford also said on a conference call with Nevada reporters that the congressional delegation was working to increase the federal distribution of vaccines to the state, which has received less than other states based on formulas used by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Tribes hit hard

In January, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., met with tribal leaders throughout the state.

“The coronavirus pandemic has hit tribes especially hard, and I’m committed to working to get them every support I can,” Cortez Masto said in a statement following the meeting with tribal leaders.

Recent coronavirus packages have included $1 billion for Indian Health Service for testing and vaccines, $1 billion for tribal broadband and $500 million for Bureau of Indian Education schools.

Pete said the additional resources in the coronavirus packages passed by Congress have been helpful to tribal leaders and American Indians who face unique needs in dealing with the pandemic.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.

A previous version of this story misstated the percentage of participants who wanted evidence the COVID-19 vaccine is safe now and in the long term.