Mayor GT Bynum said March 24 that area tribes have been instrumental in getting the region vaccinated.
More than a thousand COVID-19 vaccines will be available to any adult on a first-come, first-served basis Saturday at two Tulsa-area tribal casinos and Expo Square.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Department of Health will offer vaccines as long as supplies last to drive-up adults 18 or older from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the River Spirit Expo Center, 4145 E. 21st St. in Tulsa.
The Cherokee Nation will make available 1,000 vaccines to any member of the public 18 or older from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W. Cherokee St. in Catoosa.
The drive-through clinic is available to anyone of age regardless of where they live, according to a news release.
The Osage Nation’s WahZhaZhe Health Center is also hosting a clinic Saturday that will be open to the adult public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Osage Casino Hotel Event Center, 951 W. 36th St. North in Tulsa. Attendees are asked to bring a photo ID, but no appointments are required.
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A limited supply of about 250 one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, as well as initial doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The clinic will not be able to provide second doses to people who received their first dose at a different facility.
Each vaccination process is estimated to take 25 minutes.
The two clinics will take place days ahead of the state’s move into Phase 4, which makes all Oklahomans eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday under the state’s priority plan.
“We are committed to making it easy for the public to access the COVID-19 vaccine,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in the release. “Our health staff has done a tremendous job of improving the registration process and reducing paperwork requirements, and this event will help us reach our goal of broadening vaccine distribution to those in and outside the reservation.”
All adults are also welcome to receive a vaccine through a scheduled appointment with Cherokee Nation Health Services at any of the tribe’s nine outpatient health centers located throughout the tribe’s 14-county reservation area in northeast Oklahoma.
Those looking to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a tribal health center can call 539-234-4099 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday to schedule an appointment. No registration paperwork is required before calling, and in many instances, same-day appointments may be available, the release states.
Numerous health officials have expressed deep gratitude to area tribes for opening up vaccinations to nontribal members, and Wednesday, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum expressed his thanks.
“I can’t say enough about the work that the tribal governments have done in northeast Oklahoma to get people vaccinated,” Bynum said in a news conference. “We are so lucky to have those tribal governments here and so focused on public health in the way that they are, so my sincere thanks to them, their leadership and the work that they’re doing to get as many Oklahomans as possible immunized as quickly as possible.”
An additional event for natives and nonnatives will be hosted by the Quapaw Nation in mid-April. It is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 13 at the Pavilion at Downstream Casino Resort, 69300 E. Nee Road in Quapaw, which is in far northeastern Oklahoma.
Vaccinations will be administered to any area resident over 18, including nonnatives and those residing across the state lines in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas.
No appointments are necessary for the April 13 event, but vaccines will be available to residents in the four-state area only while supplies last.
These are the new CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people
These are the new CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people
Hanging with friends at home is low-risk
Visits and small gatherings in private settings, such as popping by to see a friend or watching a movie with a small group, are considered low-risk for fully vaccinated people. There is still a risk, however, of a fully vaccinated person transmitting the virus if they are infected. (MarsBars/Getty Images)
Fully vaccinated people are low-risk to each other
Fully vaccinated people can visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors - to have dinner, for example - without masks or physical distancing at a relatively low risk. (coldsnowstorm/Getty Images)
Unvaccinated people should call the shots
Visits between vaccinated people and unvaccinated people present little risk to vaccinated people, so precautions should be taken based on protecting unvaccinated people. (chalffy/Getty Images)
Keep visits with high-risk individuals masked and outdoors
Vaccinated people visiting with unvaccinated people from a single household that has individuals at risk of severe COVID-19 should take precautions including wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance and staying outdoors. (TangMingTung/Getty Images)
Gatherings of multiple households should remain outdoors and masked
Because the addition of another household increases the risk of transmission, fully vaccinated people should wear masks and maintain distance when interacting with members from multiple households. For example, if vaccinated grandparents visit their unvaccinated daughter and grandchildren and the neighbors come over, the gathering should be moved outside and physical distance should be maintained. (SolStock/Getty Images)
Skip concerts and weddings
Regardless of vaccination status, people should continue to avoid large gatherings such as concerts, festivals, conferences, parades, weddings and sporting events. (Geber86/Getty Images)
Keep your mask on in public spaces
While the risk is lower, public spaces like the gym still increase exposure to unvaccinated people. Fully vaccinated people should continue to wear masks, maintain distance and wash their hands frequently in these spaces. (franckreporter/Getty Images)
Continue to avoid travel
The CDC has not updated its travel recommendations. People should continue to avoid travel, but if you must, get tested before and after as well as quarantine. (Lorado/Getty Images)
Absent symptoms, there’s no need to isolate following exposure
Fully vaccinated people with no COVID-like symptoms do not need to quarantine or be tested following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 as their risk of infection is low, but they should keep an eye out for symptoms for two weeks following the exposure. (adamkaz/Getty Images)
Homeless shelters and prisons
Fully vaccinated residents of non-health care congregate settings such as homeless shelters, halfways houses and prisons should quarantine following exposure. The high turnover and dense population of these settings warrants extra precaution. (NoSystem images/Getty Images)
