With the Oklahoma State Department of Health announcing Wednesday that non-Oklahomans are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the state system, the Tulsa Health Department said Thursday they're up to the job.
"We are happy to be administering the vaccine, really, to anybody who wants it, whether they are Oklahoma residents or those that are residents of another state but for some reason are in Oklahoma," said Ellen Niemitalo, THD clinical services manager.
"We're just excited to be able to administer the vaccine to anyone who is wanting it," she said.
In a Wednesday news release, OSDH Deputy Commissioner Keith Reed said the state's primary goal will remain vaccinating Oklahomans.
“While our focus has been and will continue to be on vaccinating Oklahomans, we have always known there would be a point at which supply and increasing capacity would allow us to welcome residents from neighboring states into Oklahoma to get vaccinated,” Reed said in a statement. “We are now reaching that point and are happy to extend a welcome to our neighbors as part of our efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in the region. This virus does not adhere to boundaries drawn on a map, so by ensuring high vaccination rates across the region — not just Oklahoma — we are providing an extra layer of protection for our residents.”
Niemitalo said allocations from the federal government have increased to the point that low supply has not been a concern of late. She said that appointments have started taking longer to fill; for example, of 3,600 appointments THD added to the state's vaccinate.oklahoma.gov portal Wednesday evening, about 2,600 remained unfilled by Thursday morning.
"We should have enough as a county and as a state to administer to anyone who is wanting it," Niemitalo said.
Oklahoma has recently dropped in national rankings for percentage of the state population with at least one dose completed from the top ten to 27th, according to the CDC. Niemitalo said that while appointments in Tulsa County have been slower to fill, they ultimately end up filled, indicating demand remains strong.
Dr. Jennifer Clark, COVID-19 expert for OSU's Project ECHO, noted Wednesday that there is a "saturation issue" occurring, with a "massive drop" in vaccinations across the country as more and more states have expanded their eligibility criteria. "We're starting to hit that wall, unfortunately," Clark said.
Oklahoma's opening of vaccine eligibility to non-residents follows in the footsteps of many Oklahoma tribes, including the Cherokee, Osage and Chickasaw Nations, opening theirs to non-residents and non-Natives in recent months.
