A COVID-19 vaccination is prepared before being administered in Tulsa. State health officials announced that the federal government is going to increase the amount of the vaccine that will be available in Oklahoma.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The state of Oklahoma is modifying its vaccination plan as additional doses are expected to become available, health officials said Wednesday.
“Due to a recent announcement by the Trump administration, Oklahoma is anticipating increased vaccine supply in the coming days,” Deputy Health Commissioner Keith Reed said during a virtual press conference.
“Operation Warp Speed will be shipping first and second doses of the vaccination to the states. This is a departure from the procedure we were aware of as of yesterday.”
The change ensures that a second dose will be available to everyone who receives the first, he said.
Both vaccines currently available in the state require two doses weeks apart.
The state vaccination plan has come under fire for a lack of time slots in which residents can obtain the doses. But Reed said slots are available based on the number of doses the state receives each week. The state is committed to increasing access points as more doses become available, he said.
So far, 1,367 providers have signed up to assist with vaccinations, Reed said.
He encouraged those providers to be prepared because the state will be engaging them very soon. He said the federal government has told the states that future dose allocations will be based on how quickly the vaccine is administered.
Some of the providers may be using their own registration systems, he said, but the state recently opened a web-based portal where people can register to get information about when they become eligible for vaccination. The portal link is vaccinate.oklahoma.gov.
The state has opened vaccinations to some portions of those in Phase II, which includes health care workers and those 65 years old and older.
After registration, a link with locations and time slots for obtaining the vaccination is sent to each registrant. The slots fill up quickly. Some people have become frustrated with the wait in their home counties and so have driven across county lines to get vaccinated.
So far, 399,209 people have registered through the portal and 30,560 appointments have been set, Reed said. The state plans to upgrade the portal to include a Spanish version, he said.
Employees at LIFE Senior Services are helping older northeastern Oklahomans without access to internet or email register for a COVID-19 vaccine through the state’s online portal.
Others who lack access to a computer can call 211 to get additional information, Reed said. Between 35 and 40 workers have been added to answer 211 calls since call centers were overwhelmed with the volume of calls they were receiving, he said.
Those answering the phone will be able to provide basic answers to questions and assist with the registration process but cannot schedule an appointment through 211, he said. If the individual has no access to online technology, contact information is collected and sent to the local county health department, he said.
Wait times for help through 211 were about 15 minutes on Tuesday morning, he said.
Reed also warned of possible scams.
“We have received reports that individuals may be trying to take advantage of citizens by offering paid services to assist them in getting an appointment or navigating our scheduler portal,” Reed said. “We have not authorized anybody to go out and do that.”
He said the vaccine is available at no charge to the public.
Featured video: Scheduling for vaccines will be difficult to plan
Gallery: The Tulsa World’s People to Watch 2021
People to Watch - Amy Brown
As Tulsa’s deputy mayor and, since November, its chief administrative officer, Amy Brown does a lot of “non-glamorous, behind-the-curtain work,” as she puts it.
But she’s also the administration’s point person on at least one very public project expected to attract national and even international attention in 2021 — the search for unmarked burials from Tulsa’s 1921 Race Massacre.
People to Watch - Sen. Kevin Matthews
State Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, is pictured in front of the Greenwood Rising history center being built at Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street, the once and perhaps future crossroads of a thriving African American commercial district.
In 2017 Matthews introduced Senate Bill 17 as part of his goal to build a reminder of the 1921 Race Massacre and a memorial to what he calls “the most resilient people on this earth,” who built, rebuilt and persevered through many setbacks over past 100 years.
People to Watch - Ryan Walters
Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters may not get all interested parties on the same page in the coming year, but he hopes to at least get them in the same room.
Gov. Kevin Stitt nominated Walters for secretary of education in September as part of a cabinet reorganization. It is the first time Stitt has had a cabinet officer who is solely focused on education.
A McAlester native, Walters taught full-time in the McAlester Public Schools for eight years and continues teaching Advanced Placement courses there and in Millwood Public Schools, even after becoming executive director of Oklahoma Achieves, an education initiative of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce.
People to Watch - Aliye Shimi
“We have had many people turning to their faith traditions and faith communities at a time like this," said Aliye Shimi, executive director of the interfaith Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.
"We see it any time there’s a disaster, everybody kind of turns to faith.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in congregations and their memberships during this time. Where you would have thought we’d have a drop off, it’s been an increase. Even in giving."
People to Watch - Becky Gligo
“I love this job,” said Becky Gligo, housing policy director for the city of Tulsa and soon to be full-time director of the nonprofit Housing Solutions. “I’m a full-blown housing nerd.”
That’s good, because COVID-19 is turning what was already a problem in Tulsa into a potential crisis. In moving from the city to the lead agency for the area nonprofits fighting homelessness, Gligo (pronounced GLEE-go) will be right in the middle of the fray.
With a federal eviction moratorium expiring at the end of the year and landlords feeling the strain of lost revenue, Gligo and others fear a wave of homelessness in 2021.
People to Watch - Mike Bausch
Mike Bausch knows the pain most Tulsa restaurants, and just about all small businesses, have suffered this year.
Bausch and his brother Jim own a group of Tulsa restaurants that includes Andolini’s Pizza, STG Gelaterias and Prossimo Italian Ristorante. Between the economic downturn and the isolation measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Bausch enterprises have taken some lumps, says Mike.
But they’ve also found ways to survive and even improve.
People to Watch - Jennifer Murphy
Earlier this year, at about the same time many American cities roiled with anger over law enforcement tactics, Lt. Jennifer Murphy was given the job of convincing some skeptical Tulsans that the police could be their friends.
As part of his reorganization of the department, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin put Murphy in charge of a new Community Engagement Unit. The unit mostly combined initiatives already operating independently, but without much coordination or combined focus.
People to Watch - Joe Deere
Cherokee Tribal Councilor Joe Deere says his job calls for a lot of hats.
The one Tulsans are most likely to see him wearing is for community involvement.
Whether that’s organizing a food distribution at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, volunteering for the Special Olympics or figuring out how to improve access to tribal services, Deere has committed himself to helping people get through the COVID-19 pandemic and to raising the Cherokee Nation’s profile in Tulsa.
People to Watch - Lori Long
Lori Long picked a heck of a time to become executive director of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
After 12 years leading the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, Long took over northeastern Oklahoma’s largest food assistance network on March 30 — just in time for an unprecedented wave of demand caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.
In April, Long’s first month on the job, the food bank moved a record 3.8 million pounds of food. In September, it went over 4 million pounds.
People to Watch - Dr. David Kendrick
A high school job entering genome sequencing data introduced Dr. David Kendrick to medical science, so it’s perhaps not surprising that his career revolves around information systems.
To be sure, there is an M.D. after his name, with specialties in pediatrics and internal medicine. But at the top of a long list of job titles are chairman of the Department of Informatics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Tulsa and and chief executive officer of MyHealth Access Network.
That’s a mouthful that may not mean much to the average Tulsan — at least not until they wind up in the back of ambulance or a hospital emergency room.
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Barbara Hoberock
Capitol Bureau Writer
I have covered the Oklahoma Legislature since 1994. I cover politics, appellate courts, state agencies and the governor. I have worked for the Tulsa World since 1990. Phone: 405-528-2465
