Oklahomans Can Only Receive A COVID Vaccine With A Scheduled Appointment, State Health Leaders Say

The state health department said their vaccination app will be live on Thursday for you to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine once your group is eligible.

"Originally, we were planning on using an app that was provided by the CDC," said Deputy Health Commissioner Keith Reed. "When they actually came to the point of rolling it out, it did not quite meet our needs."

As the CDC app did not fit what state leaders wanted, they started working with Microsoft to create a new app. The state said the CDC app would have required the entire state to use the app while also causing many providers to learn a new system.

"When you have a short time frame to put it together, you have occasional delays," said Reed. "We were not going to wait for technology to give us the green light to move forward."

With many Oklahomans living without Internet services, the state said they are working on bridging the gap.

"One of the things I think we are looking at is limiting the number of appointments made through the app, for example. Then, set aside a certain number of appointments that can be gained by other needs to try to help those who do not have access to the application of technology," said Reed.

The app will verify Oklahoma residency and will allow you to book a reservation statewide.

"We are not limiting somebody to be a resident to particular county to get vaccine. A lot of people travel to work, and there is a number of circumstances," said Reed.

The state said that the only way to get a vaccine is to schedule an appointment.

Click here to view a list of Oklahoma county health departments on Facebook.