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Navajo Nation reports 4 more COVID-19 deaths, 69 new cases

(Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times) A sign reading "Wear a mask" in Chinle, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation Reservation, on May 27, 2020.

Window Rock, Ariz. • The Navajo Department of Health has reported 69 new cases of coronavirus on the Navajo Nation and four more known deaths.

That pushes the totals to 6,963 positive COVID-19 cases and 334 known deaths as of Saturday night.

Tribal officials also said preliminary reports from 11 health care facilities indicate about 3,470 people have recovered from COVID-19 with more reports still pending.

The Navajo Nation has resumed weekend lockdowns with businesses closed as the number of coronavirus cases off the reservation increases, most notably in Arizona.

The tribe's vast reservation stretches into northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But for some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.