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.”