WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Navajo Nation leaders announced a virtual Day of Prayer scheduled for Friday to honor all of the lives lost to COVID-19.

A news release said 1,228 people have died from the coronavirus since the very first death was reported on the reservation on March 17, 2020.

Friday’s “Navajo Nation Day of Prayer” will include newly sworn-in Secretary of the Interior and Native American Deb Haaland, Navajo leaders, and faith-based leaders.

Navajo Nation marks one year since first confirmed case of COVID-19, Day of Prayer virtual event to be held on Friday pic.twitter.com/jxRBtAfhJ1

— Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez (@NNPrezNez) March 17, 2021

“During the Navajo Nation Day of Prayer on Friday, we call upon the Navajo people, from all faiths, to join in prayer to honor and remember all of the lives lost, to ask for strength and comfort for all of the grieving families, and to ask for strong physical and mental health and continued blessings for our communities, health care workers and frontline warriors, and our entire Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez. “We recognize the hardships, sacrifices, and losses that our people continue to endure and we pray for protection and recovery from COVID-19, and we thank our health care workers and frontline warriors who put themselves in harm’s way to help our Navajo people to save countless lives.”

The event will be streamed live on the Nez-Lizer Facebook page, and the Navajo Nation Division of Behavioral and Mental Health Services Facebook page. The service is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

“The strength and resilience of our ancestors is alive within each of us to this day. There is no doubt that we are overcoming this pandemic day by day, but we have to keep fighting this virus together and not let up our guard,” Vice President Myron Lizer said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families who have lost loved ones and with all of those fighting the virus right now. We will have to cope with the long-term physical and mental health impacts long after the pandemic, so we have to continue to support one another and pray for more strength and guidance.”

The Navajo Area Health Service said 87% of the 203,220 vaccines it has received have already been administered and 69,224 people have received both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

We pray for all of those we have lost to COVID-19 over the past year, including 1,222 of our own Navajo people. Tonight we honored them with a candle lit service as we prayed for continued strength for their families as they grieve for their loved ones. We will overcome 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/RtdbT4tXKM

— Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez (@NNPrezNez) March 18, 2021

Wednesday night the Navajo Nation honored COVID-19 victims with a service in Window Rock, Ariz.

The Navajo Nation is located in the Four Corners area which includes San Juan County in Utah.