The Indian Health Service hosts a COVID-19 media event in Anadarko, Oklahoma, on November 8, 2021.

Elizabeth Fowler, the acting director of the IHS, visits the Anadarko Indian Health Center. The clinic began administering COVID-19 vaccines for children 5-11 years old following approval at the federal level.

Fowler is a citizen of the Comanche Nation with descendancy from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She was joined at the media event by Caddo Nation Chairman Bobby Gonzalez, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes President Terri Parton and Comanche Nation Representative Alice Kassanavoid.

“The availability of vaccines for children 5 years and older is a significant step in the fight against the pandemic, bringing us closer to reaching community immunity,” the IHS said in a post on social media.

“The IHS continues working to ensure that pediatric COVID-19 vaccines are quickly distributed and made conveniently available to children and their families across #IndianCountry,” the agency said.