After having been in the "green" or "new normal" category in May for the spread of COVID-19, Cherokee County has slipped back into the "yellow," low-risk category, according to data released Wednesday, June 23 by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
A local health care staffer called the change "no surprise," adding that Cherokee County is in the lower-middle range of vaccinated populations across the state. Figures show 14,907 – or 30.67 percent of the population – fully vaccinated here as of June 22. In nearby Adair County, only 20.84 percent of the population has been vaccinated – one of the lowest rates in the state. Only Tulsa and Oklahoma counties report vaccination rates exceeding 40 percent.
According to the OSDH, the green category is for counties with fewer than 1.43 cases per 100,000 people. The yellow category denotes counties reporting 1.43 to 14.29 cases per 100,000 people. Only four counties – Craig, Ottawa, Comanche and Carter – are in the "orange" category, where more than 14.29 cases per 100,000 are still being reported. Thirty-six counties, mostly in the western half of the state, are now in the green, whereas 37 are in yellow.
As of Wednesday, Cherokee County had 5,683 active cases of COVID-19, with 5,577. The death toll stands at 79, as it has for two weeks, with 16 new cases since last Wednesday. Tahlequah reported 3,999 of those cases and 57 of the deaths, with 3,921 recoveries. Hulbert has had 530 cases, with 522 recoveries and six deaths. The remainder are in outlying areas of the county.
The Northeastern State University campus in Tahlequah has logged what President Steve Turner called an "overwhelmingly supportive" response to the pandemic. Turner announced June 18 that as per CDC guidance, NSU will eliminate protocols as of July 1 and move back to "normal classroom capacities." Social distancing measures will be removed, and camps and other third-party events will also return to normal.
"The university continues to strongly encourage the entire NSU community to get vaccinated," Turner said. "Anyone who wishes to mask indoors or outdoors may freely do so. We encourage and support all individuals who elect to continue their practice of wearing a mask or face covering."
Tahlequah had a facial covering mandate that expired in late March.
Area residents may register online to receive a notification when they're eligible to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov, or they can find other vaccine options at vaccinefinder.org.
June 23, 2021 at 11:40PM
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Cherokee County rises back to 'yellow' COVID infection rate category; risk still low - Tahlequah Daily Press
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