Why Navajo Nation could be the first in the U.S. to achieve herd immunity

First Lady Jill Biden visited the Navajo Nation on Friday. The territory is leading the nation in vaccination rates and could be the first in the United States to achieve herd immunity.

The journey to reach herd immunity on the Navajo Nation hasn't always been a smooth one. The largest Native American reservation had one of the country's highest per capita COVID-19 death rates last year. More than 1,200 of its people died of coronavirus complications.

The White House announced last week it will spend more than $4 billion to combat COVID-19 in Native American communities — including $600 million for vaccinations.

Nurse Lyle Lee drove nearly an hour to give 72-year-old Jonah Johnson the first dose of his COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson was willing to take the vaccine but refused to leave his rural home.

"It's very important to you know, for us to do these types of visits, you know, and just respecting their choice," Lee told CBS News' Mireya Villarreal.

McKinley County, New Mexico borders the Navajo Nation and is made up of more than 70% Native Americans. In September of 2020, this county ranked first in the state and sixth nationally for COVID-19 deaths per capita.

"At first, we didn't really have our guard up, but once it hit within our family, that's when reality hit," Jamie Barboan said.

Reality struck quickly for the Barboan family. Her mother, Yvonne Tolth, got COVID-19.