Indian Health Service steps up COVID, other vaccine push
The Indian Health Service says all tribal members covered by the federal agency will be offered a vaccine at every appointment, when appropriate
PHOENIX (AP) — The Indian Health Service announced Thursday that all tribal members covered by the federal agency will be offered a vaccine at every appointment when appropriate, under a new vaccine strategy.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, American Indians and Alaska Natives have had some of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates across the country.
But Indigenous people are especially vulnerable to vaccine-preventable illness, and IHS officials recently noticed fewer patients have been getting vaccines for COVID-19. Monkeypox is now an additional health concern.
Patients in the system are also beginning to fall behind in more routine inoculations, such as jabs for childhood diseases like measles, mumps and rubella, as well as shingles shots for older adults.
