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Cherokee Nation Latest, Largest Oklahoma Tribe To Offer COVID Vaccine To Anyone Who Wants One

Courtesy Cherokee Nation
Jason Stanfill, 44, traveled from Broken Arrow to receive his COVID-19 vaccine at the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center in Tahlequah on March 18.

Following in the footsteps of some other Oklahoma tribes, the Cherokee Nation announced Thursday it will now schedule vaccination appointments for anyone who wants one, regardless of their Tribal citizenship status or even what state they live in.

“Our Cherokee Nation health team was extremely successful in ensuring we reached our most vulnerable populations, including Cherokee elders and first responders, when our first COVID-19 vaccines arrived in December,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a statement.

“Since then, we have continued to successfully reach Cherokee citizens of all ages through rigorous outreach efforts and rapid expansion of our vaccine availability. That’s why, as a good community partner, the Cherokee Nation is now offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments to anyone, regardless of where they live, including our Cherokee citizens, citizens of other federally recognized tribes, and members of the public," Hoskin said.

In a release, Cherokee Nation said the vaccine will be administered at locations in Tahlequah, Ochelata, Sallisaw, Jay, Muskogee, Vinita, Nowata, Salina and Stilwell. 

Cherokee Nation said Thursday it had administered more than 36,500 doses of the vaccine to date.

Individuals interested in receiving the vaccine through Cherokee Nation can call (539) 234-4099 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule an appointment. 

Chris joined Public Radio Tulsa as a news anchor and reporter in April 2020. He’s a graduate of Hunter College and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, both at the City University of New York.
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