Oklahoma Health Officials See Uptick In COVID-19 Vaccinations Amid Rise In New Cases

As COVID-19 cases rise in many parts of the country and in Oklahoma, the state is starting to see a new vaccine surge.

"We are definitely seeing greater interest in people getting vaccinated," said Keith Reed, Deputy Commissioner of Health for the Oklahoma Department of Health.

Reed said since the first week of July, they've seen a 160% increase in Oklahomans getting a first dose, and an 81% increase in overall vaccines given out.

"I have no doubt that the increase in case numbers, the increase in the hospitalizations that we're seeing not just in Oklahoma but nationwide, is really fueling that renewed interest in people getting vaccinated," said Reed.

This comes as the state reports more than 900 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, and more than 14,000 active cases.

Tuesday’s COVID-19 Numbers: OSDH 946 New COVID-19 Cases Reported, 3 Virus-Related Deaths Added To State’s Provisional Death Count

"I'm sure there are plenty of Oklahomans that were looking at the past few months and thinking maybe we were going to escape without this resurging too much,” said Reed. “And the resurgence certainly catches everyone's attention."

One area seeing more vaccinations than other parts of Oklahoma is in Tulsa County.

"We're seeing a slow increase over the month of July in the number of people who were accessing getting the COVID vaccines," said Ellen Niemitalo, Manager of Clinic Services for the Tulsa Health Department.

Niemitalo said 62% of those 12 and older in the county have received at least one dose. She anticipates those numbers will keep going up.

"My hope would be people are recognizing that vaccinations is a great way to slow the spread of COVID," said Niemitalo.