Health Officials Think Recent Vaccinations Are Driven By The Highly-Transmissible Delta Variant

Over the weekend, the U.S. administered more vaccinations than normal. Now, 49% of the U.S. is fully vaccinated.

Health leaders in Oklahoma said the state has seen an uptick in vaccinations as well.

"It is coming a little later in the game than we would have liked to have seen," Keith Reed, the state's Deputy Commissioner of Health said. "Therefore, we aren't avoiding a lot of the hospitalizations and serious illness that we could have."

But Reed said he is pleased to see more people getting vaccinated. He said it is better late than never.

"You can see through the past seven days we have increased about 30% from where we were a couple of weeks ago," Reed said. "The good news is if you dig deeper, we've had a 68% increase in those pursuing their first dose of the vaccine."

Reed said a good amount of the people getting vaccinated recently are in the younger age groups, ages 12 to 35. He believes that’s due to a few reasons.

"Without a doubt the concern over the delta variant, the knowledge that it is effecting younger people. It spreads more easily and the fact that we are seeing cases and hospitalizations go up," Reed said.

For the people who have been on the fence about getting the vaccine, Reed said it is best to get it.

"It is a real risk," Reed said. "The vaccine is the best way to keep someone from getting seriously ill, going to the hospital, and death. It is free, it is out there, it is available, and it is something for individuals to do not just for themselves, but for their family and friends."

If you are looking for a COVID-19 vaccine, there are online options to schedule an appointment.

Here are a couple of websites that cover vaccines in the metro and state, vaccinate.oklahoma.gov, vaxokc.com.