COVID NEWS

 Oklahoma health department piloting text notification system for COVID-19 vaccine

by: KFOR-TV and K. Querry

Posted: Jan 29, 2021 / 07:05 AM CST / Updated: Jan 29, 2021 / 07:05 AM CST

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – If you receive a text message about scheduling your COVID-19 vaccine, don’t delete it just yet.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health says it will pilot a new text notification system to send second dose appointment updates to those who registered for the COVID-19 vaccine through the Vaccine Scheduler Portal.

In all, officials say about 2,400 people may have already received a text message from OSDH.

Officials say the text message is intended to help residents schedule their second dose if they didn’t receive specific instructions from their provider when they received their first dose.

The text message will say, “Please book your second dose of COVID-19 Vaccine by registering and booking an appointment on the vaccinate.oklahoma.gov website.”

The message will come from a non-Oklahoma area code — a 1-833 number. 

Residents will then receive a follow-up text that will include a website link to the Vaccine Scheduler Portal FAQs that provide more detailed instructions on how a person secures an appointment.

“Our most commonly reported issue with the vaccine portal is that some people aren’t receiving their confirmation email, or it’s going to spam,” said Deputy Commissioner Keith Reed. “As with everything in the vaccine plan, we’re always looking to improve accessibility and provide more points of contact. This text alert system should help notify folks about next steps for scheduling their COVID-19 vaccine appointments.”

COVID ALERTS

 In order to get alerts about available places for the vaccine, you can go to vaccine-alerts.com and put in the information to get notices as appointments become available. 

Am I eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine? Oklahoma portal details eligibility, appointments

 by: KFOR-TV and K. Querry

Am I eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine? Oklahoma portal details eligibility, appointments

Posted: Jan 6, 2021 / 09:14 AM CST / Updated: Jan 6, 2021 / 12:33 PM CST

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – This week, the Oklahoma State Department of Health is launching an online COVID-19 vaccine scheduler portal.

Officials say the portal will notify Oklahomans when they’re eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and provide more information on how to schedule an appointment.

Now, Oklahomans can visit the portal and pre-register. By entering their information and pre-registering, they will determine their eligibility to receive the vaccine.

Beginning Jan.7, only Oklahomans who are 65-years-old and older, healthcare workers, and first responders will be able to schedule appointments.

As the state advances in the phased approach to vaccine distribution, the system will notify and allow individuals in additional priority groups and phases the opportunity to schedule their appointment.

Authorities say if you pre-register on Wednesday, regardless of priority group, you will receive an automated message that says you are not eligible for an appointment. Instead, you will be notified of appointment eligibility beginning on Thursday.

Officials stress that just because you’re eligible to receive the vaccine doesn’t mean you ‘ll receive an appointment right away.

Appointment availability will depend on vaccine supply in each county, which changes from week to week as the state receives more vaccine doses from the federal government.

If you’re not currently eligible to receive the vaccine or if there are no appointments available in your area based on vaccine supply, registering in advance will ensure you are notified by email when an appointment is available. 

As a reminder, there is no list for Oklahomans to be added to in order to be included in the state’s phased approach to vaccine distribution. The Vaccine Scheduler Portal is a tool to help notify eligible Oklahomans when and where they can receive the vaccine when an appointment is available to them. 

Oklahomans can begin the pre-registration process today at vaccinate.ok.gov.

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You’ve registered on Oklahoma’s COVID-19 vaccine portal- now what?

by: KFOR-TV and K. Querry

Posted: Jan 7, 2021 / 11:44 AM CST / Updated: Jan 7, 2021 / 11:44 AM CST

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – After the Oklahoma State Department of Health launched an online COVID-19 scheduling portal, many Oklahomans rushed to register to receive the vaccine.

Organizers say the portal is designed to let Oklahomans know when they are eligible to receive the vaccine.

On Wednesday, the portal was only open for pre-registering.

“So far, the system seems to be holding up very well. We’ve got a couple of minor tweaks that were working on,” said Keith Reed, Oklahoma State Department of Health Deputy Commissioner.