Good Morning, NUNAverse,
Earlier this week, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s antiviral pill, Paxlovid, to treat COVID-19. This is the first antiviral COVID-19 pill authorized for ill people to take at home, before they get sick enough to be hospitalized. High-risk individuals aged 12 and older who weigh at least 88 pounds and have a positive SARS-CoV-2 test are eligible for this treatment and will need to have it prescribed by a doctor. Last week, Pfizer released updated results that showed the treatment cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% if given to high-risk adults within a few days of their first symptoms.
Two new British studies provide some early hints that the omicron variant of COVID-19 may be milder than the delta version. Scientists stress that even if the findings of these early studies hold up, any reductions in severity need to be weighed against the fact omicron spreads much faster than delta and is more able to evade vaccines. Sheer numbers of infections could still overwhelm hospitals. An analysis from the Imperial College London COVID-19 response team estimated hospitalization risks for omicron cases in England, finding people infected with the variant are around 20% less likely to go to the hospital at all than those infected with the delta variant, and 40% less likely to be hospitalized for a night or more.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe received an early Christmas gift from the U.S. Department of the Interior on Wednesday when it received notification from Assistant Secretary of the Interior – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland that the tribe’s reservation has been confirmed. The decision reverses the action by the Trump administration’s attempt in March 2020 to strip the tribe of its reservation, which includes 321 acres of land that was put into trust status during the Obama administration. The Obama decision was reversed by the Trump administration three years later in September 2018. On Wednesday, Newland confirmed that the Department of the Interior has authority under the Indian Reorganization Act to take such action, and further confirmed that the Tribe’s Reservation has remained in federally protected trust status since the land was first placed in trust six years ago on November 10, 2015.
Yesterday, the White House announced nearly $10 million in funding awards from the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and Agriculture that will be leveraged to expand access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet services to tribes. Last year, Congress authorized the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which provides $1 billion in COVID-relief aid funding for tribal broadband, to be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The pool of funding announced today includes some of that NTIA money announced last year. In addition to the $1 billion provided for via NTIA, there is an additional $2 billion more that was put into the bipartisan infrastructure law. There is also funding available as part of a $10 billion capital project fund from the Treasury Department. And there is money being distributed from the Commerce Department’s economic development agency (EDA) and from the USDA’s Community Connect program.
NUNA’s daily media clips will be on hiatus starting tomorrow through the New Year and we’ll be returning on January 3. Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday!
Keep reading for a full news update.
Health:
FDA Authorizes First Pill To Treat COVID-19
CNN, Jamie Gumbrecth and Amanda Sealy, December 22
The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized Pfizer’s antiviral pill, Paxlovid, to treat Covid-19. This is the first antiviral Covid-19 pill authorized for ill people to take at home, before they get sick enough to be hospitalized. High-risk individuals age 12 and older who weigh at least 88 pounds and have a positive SARS-CoV-2 test are eligible for this treatment and will need to have it prescribed by a doctor.
As COVID Fueled The Drug Crises, Native Americans Hit Worst
AP News, Claire Galofaro, December 22
As the pandemic ravaged the country, deaths from drug overdoses surged by nearly 30%, climbing to a record high. The drug crisis has also diversified from an overwhelmingly white affliction to killing people of color with staggering speed. The death rate last year was highest among Native Americans, for whom COVID-19 piled yet more despair on communities already confronting generations of trauma, poverty, unemployment and underfunded health systems. It is no longer an opioid epidemic, but one in which people are dying from deadly cocktails of many drugs. Deaths involving methamphetamine have nearly tripled in recent years, with Native Americans 12 times more likely to die from it.
Omicron Less Likely To Put You In The Hospital, Studies Say
AP News, Laura Ungar, December 22
Two new British studies provide some early hints that the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be milder than the delta version. Scientists stress that even if the findings of these early studies hold up, any reductions in severity need to be weighed against the fact omicron spreads much faster than delta and is more able to evade vaccines. Sheer numbers of infections could still overwhelm hospitals. Still, the new studies released Wednesday seem to bolster earlier research that suggests omicron may not be as harmful as the delta variant, said Manuel Ascano Jr., a Vanderbilt University biochemist who studies viruses.
Navajo Nation Reports 10 More COVID-19 Cases, No New Deaths
AP News, December 22
The Navajo Nation has reported 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the vast reservation in the U.S. Southwest and no additional deaths. The figures released Tuesday pushed the total number of cases to 40,856 since the pandemic began. The death toll remained at 1,576. Tribal President Jonathan Nez urged residents to get vaccinated and a booster shot if eligible to build a defense against variants of the virus, including omicron. Vaccines do not prevent people from getting coronavirus, but health officials say the shots are effective in reducing the risk of severe illness and death.
Casinos:
Tribe Begins Hiring To Reopen Newly Purchased Vegas Resort
AP News, December 22
The new owners of the shuttered Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas want to rehire hundreds of former employees who lost their jobs when the property closed in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cynthia Kiser Murphey, general manager of the off-Strip property now owned by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, told Nevada casino regulators last week she hopes to bring back up to 600 of nearly 1,200 former workers when the off-Strip resort reopens in the spring. No date has been announced. Kiser Murphey said the property was recruiting through community agencies, job fairs and an online portal that started Friday at palmscareers.com, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Other:
White House Announces $10 Million In Funding Awards For Tribal Internet
Native News Online, December 22
Today, the White House announced nearly $10 million in funding awards from the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and Agriculture that will be leveraged to expand access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet services to Tribal Nations. Last year, Congress authorized the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which provides $1 billion in COVID-relief aid funding for tribal broadband, to be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The pool of funding announced today includes some of that NTIA money announced last year. In addition to the $1 billion provided for via NTIA, there is an additional $2 billion more that was put into the bipartisan infrastructure law. There is also funding available as part of a $10 billion capital project fund from the Treasury Department. And there is money being distributed from the Commerce Department’s economic development agency (EDA) and from the USDA’s Community Connect program.
Biden’s Interior Dept. Reverses Trump’s Attempt To Strip Mashpee Wampanoag Lands Of Reservation Status
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, December 22
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe received on Wednesday an early Christmas gift from the U.S. Department of the Interior on Wednesday when it received notification from Assistant Secretary of the Interior – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland that the tribe’s reservation has been confirmed. Today’s decision reverses the action by the Trump administration’s attempt in March 2020 to strip the tribe of its reservation, which includes 321 acres of land that was put into trust status during the Obama administration. The Obama decision was reversed by the Trump administration three years later in September 2018. On Wednesday, Newland confirmed that the Interior Department has authority under the Indian Reorganization Act to take such action, and further confirmed that the Tribe’s Reservation has remained in federally protected trust status since the Reservation land was first placed in trust six years ago on November 10, 2015.
Miss Louisiana Takes Choctaw Roots To Miss USA
Indian Country Today, Sandra Hale Schulman, December 22
The Miss USA 2021 pageant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this year was a special kind of homecoming for Tanya Crowe. Her Choctaw ancestors had been forced to relocate to Oklahoma from Mississippi with the signing of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in the early 1800s, and she was honored to return as Miss Louisiana for the competition. The Miss USA 2021 pageant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this year was a special kind of homecoming for Tanya Crowe. Her Choctaw ancestors had been forced to relocate to Oklahoma from Mississippi with the signing of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in the early 1800s, and she was honored to return as Miss Louisiana for the competition.
Scholarships To Apply For Over The Holiday Break
Native News Online, December 22
If you’re a student with some downtime during the holiday week, check out these opportunities from the Native American Journalism Association.
Ron Hull Honored With Frank Blythe Award For Media Excellence
Native News Online, December 22
Longtime broadcast journalist Ron Hull last week received the 2021 Frank Blythe Award for Media Excellence for his work empowering Native storytellers in public media. Hull was an original member and the first treasurer of the Native American Public Broadcasting Consortium (NAPBC), founded in 1976, which was later renamed Native American Public Telecommunication. Today, the company is known as Vision Maker Media, a public news source by and for Native Americans. In 2006, Frank Blythe (Eastern Cherokee/Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota), executive director of Vision Maker Media, announced his retirement after serving as the organization’s first executive director for 30 years. The Frank Blythe Award for Media Excellence was then established that year. Based on Blythe’s achievements over his multi-decade career in public television dedicated to Native American representation and inclusion, he set the standard for this recognition.