The Oglala Sioux Tribe Public Health Authority is confirming the first case of the COVID-19 delta variant in Oglala Lakota County. The county is within the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Tribal leadership and health officials are still urging those 12 years or older to get vaccinated if they haven’t done so already. They also ask that people continue to mask up, frequently wash their hands, and maintain social distancing.
The tribe’s Vice President Alicia Mousseau says the Tribe will continue to operate under safe health protocols.
“The rates of COVID are up across the nation. And, and so we need to protect the community. We're going to continue to do all the prevention measures that we have in place already, including our mask mandate that is, we are watching our risk level to see how we move in things we need to do. If we need to go back into, you know, work at home potentially... but we are watching it carefully and, uh, you know, taking all the necessary precautions and procedures to ensure that our community is safe.”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the COVID-19 Delta variant is the most dominant strain in the United States.