More Vaccines for Seniors and Teens, March 24

Coquille Tribal release – Local senior citizens and teens are invited to a second pair of COVID-19 vaccination events this week, courtesy of the Coquille Indian Tribe. A vaccination clinic at The Mill Casino-Hotel on Friday, March 26, is open to all community members age 65 and older. An event Sunday, March 28, is open to those 65 and older as well as to youth age 16-18, if they are still in high school. “We vaccinated a lot of people last weekend, and we’re excited about doing it again,” said Coquille Tribal Chairman Brenda Meade. Like last week, the Friday vaccination clinic will offer the Moderna vaccine. The Sunday clinic once again will offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Meade said the Coquille Tribe is deliberately targeting senior citizens as well as teens. “Our traditional culture teaches us to revere and protect our Elders,” she said. “At the same time, we know that vaccinating these teens will help protect school personnel and the whole community.” Unlike some other vaccines, the Pfizer vaccine can be used on patients as young as 16. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require second doses. Appointments for the second shots will be scheduled after the first doses are administered. Meade noted that sharing valuable resources with the tribe’s neighbors reflects the “potlatch” tradition of Pacific Coast tribes. “Potlatch traditionally involved inviting people to a feast,” she said. “We can’t throw a party right now, but we’re grateful we can do this instead.” The senior-junior vaccine opportunity is made possible by a four-way partnership of the Coquille Tribe, the Oregon Health Authority, the Indian Health Service and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. The OHA and IHS collaborated to provide a vaccine supply, which the two tribes are splitting.
Teens and senior citizens can sign up for vaccines by going to the tribe’s website, www.coquilletribe.org. Once there, click on the white box labeled, “COVID-19 Vaccines,” and choose from the “Open Appointments” links to self-schedule a vaccination. The vaccines will be available both days from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Salmon Room of The Mill Casino-Hotel. (Instead of the main entrance, please look for the specially designated door on the casino’s west side.) The supply of vaccine is limited, and shots are available by appointment only. Appointments must be scheduled by 4 p.m. the day before each event. For more information, please visit the vaccination page on www.coquilletribe.org.