The Arizona National Guard airlifted roughly 300 sets of medical personal protective equipment to the Navajo Nation on Tuesday, according to a Wednesday press release from the National Guard.

A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter took off from Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix Tuesday afternoon and headed to Kayenta on the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Nation is under a "stay-at-home" order and has instituted an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Navajo Nation announced on Tuesday evening it had 174 identified cases, with seven confirmed deaths.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said that their health care system has been overwhelmed.

This relief was provided in order to fill the critical shortage of personal protective equipment, also called PPE, that an Arizona National Guard medical assessment team identified two days prior.

“The clinic at Kayenta was totally out of supplies,” Col. Timothy Pfeifer said in the release. “When something happens like this coronavirus outbreak, the demand for PPE is greater than the normal on-hand supply. There isn’t always a supply for conditions like this and when the whole world is looking for PPE it is hard to get resupply.”

Pfeifer said that the delivery of PPE will help steady the health care system in the Navajo Nation.

"PPE will make health care providers more prepared for this situation because if you start losing your doctors and nurses then we are in trouble,” Pfeifer said.

On Sunday, the Arizona National Guard worked overnight to establish a medical care facility in Chinle, Arizona.

Reach the reporter Connor Van Ligten at Connor.VanLigten@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @Connor_VL.