The state health department has opened its COVID-19 vaccination portal for pre-registration.
The online portal is at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov. It is open for anyone to enter their information to determine when they may be eligible for a vaccine, but right now, only health care workers, first responders and Oklahomans 65 or older will be able to schedule an appointment starting Thursday.
State Deputy Health Commissioner Keith Reed said moving forward, a lot depends on weekly vaccine allocations and how many people sign up.
"We need to just be clear on this moving forward: This is going to be a very difficult process and it’s going to be a long process and there’s going to be a lot of challenges," Reed said during a vaccine update earlier this week.
Reed said there are discussions at the health department about setting aside a number of vaccination appointments for older adults and rural residents who may not have technical ability or internet access to use the online portal. Oklahomans who register now but are not immediately eligible should get an email when they can schedule an appointment.
People will not be limited to their county of residence to receive a COVID vaccine.
"A lot of people travel to work, and there’s a number of circumstances that might require somebody to get a vaccine in an area they don’t reside in. We’re working hard to try to keep this for Oklahoma residents," Reed said.
Currently, the state learns its vaccine allotment for the following week on Tuesdays. Appointments will be available every Thursday and Friday.
The vaccinate.oklahoma.gov portal is only for vaccines received by the state and distributed to county health departments. It does not cover vaccines obtained by hospitals or going to nursing homes through CVS and Walgreens under a federal program.
