American Indians in Wisconsin are now dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate per capita than any other ethnic group in the state, according to the Department of Health Services. That's a change from the start of the pandemic and throughout the summer, when cases and deaths from COVID-19 among American Indians had been relatively low. Tribal health officials had attributed the early success to stringent health mandates on the reservations, such as social distancing and wearing masks, and frequent safety communications to tribal members. Then in the fall, cases and death rates started to climb drastically among American Indians, with the largest spike in deaths in November.