PHX Reporter

COVID-19 vaccine rates in rural Arizona officially surpass the more populated areas of the Grand Canyon State.

Mary Francis, a Navajo woman, took part in the campaign to encourage members of Navajo Nation, which was once a hotspot for the virus, to receive the vaccine, according to a May 7 Associated Press story.

"I was happy to put the information out there and just building that awareness and in having folks feel comfortable enough, or curious enough, to read the material," Francis told the Associated Press. 

Holly Van Lew, a Pheonix Indian Medical Center pharmacist and co-leader of a federal Indian Health Service Taskforce, attributes the high vaccination rates to the leaders of Navajo Nation who stressed the importance of vaccines to protect one another, the Associated Press reported. 

Will Humble, former director for Arizona's Department of Health Services, told the Associated Press if data from the Indian Health Service was included in state COVID-19 reporting, the high rural vaccine rates could directly be linked to tribal participation in vaccine campaigns. 

Jeff Terrell, Santa Cruz County's health director, told the Associated Press the county, which borders Mexico but has little presence from Native Americans, had a high vaccination rate likely due to it's location and the number of laborers from Mexico coming into the county to work.