The good news: Concerns about public reluctance to receiving the new COVID-19 vaccines have proven unfounded.

The bad news: Kingfisher County Health Department has been so overwhelmed by vaccination requests that two weeks worth of appointments were filled within hours of an online announcement Monday.

“In no time in my career has there been such a demand all at once for a new vaccine,” Maggie Jackson, health department community engagement and planning director for Canadian, Blaine, Kingfisher, Garfield, Grant, Logan and Major counties, said Tuesday morning.

Each of those counties began holding coronavirus weekly vaccination events beginning this week for people falling into three categories designated in Phase 2 of the state’s distribution plan: first responders, healthcare workers and anyone over age 65.

The number of people calling for appointments for the local county health department’s first weekly event this Tuesday quickly outnumbered available time slots for the first two weeks, Jackson said.

Additionally, a number of people showed up at the health department on Tuesday without an appointment, prompting a reminder that walk-ins could not be accepted.

“I was shocked at how quickly appointments filled up,” she said. “We were expecting people to have more of a wait-and-see attitude but everyone seems very motivated to get vaccinated right now”

Demand is so great that the county health department is soliciting volunteer nurses (see related story) and planning a larger event to be able to distribute vaccinations more quickly.

In the meantime, Jackson is asking local residents to hold off on calling the county health department for appointments until further notice.

“We’re sorry for this delay but we hope to have news by next Wednesday (Jan. 13) about further appointment availability in this county,” Jackson said.

She added that Kingfisher area residents may also sign up for vaccination clinics in Enid, El Reno or Guthrie, which have larger capacities at this time.

Those schedules include:

Garfield County - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays at the Stride Bank Center in Enid.

Logan County - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays at the Logan County Fairgrounds in Guthrie.

Canadian County - 9 a.m. -3 p.m. Fridays at Redlands Community College in El Reno.

Appointments at those locations may be made by calling the respective health departments or online via links available on the Kingfisher County Health Department Facebook Page.

Jackson reminds residents that demand for the vaccine is high everywhere and asks for patience in getting scheduled.

Staffing Limitations

Delays in getting vaccines out is more a matter of staffing than availability right now, Jackson said.

“Vaccines are our priority right now, but we’re still conducting testing, plus handling all our other health department responsibilities the rest of the week,” she said. “Each day is a challenge, but I am so proud of our team for working as hard as they can to get vaccines out to as many people as they can as quickly as possible.”

She said the local logjam will hopefully be eased by a large capacity vaccination event that will bring in nurse volunteers to a larger venue like the Kingfisher County Fairgrounds.

Watch for details about that event on the Kingfisher Times & Free Press Facebook page and in future editions of the newspaper.

Vaccine Details

Jackson said those making appointments in her seven-county district must fall into one of three categories: first responders, other healthcare workers or people over age 65.

“Other sites maybe offering vaccines to other Phase 2 categories, such as adults with comorbidities, but due to staffing and resources, we can only provide vaccines for these three groups,” Jackson said.

“Of those three categories, we are taking them at no priority and making appointments on a first-come, first-served basis.”

Those requesting a vaccine must provide identification showing they fall into one of the three categories before the shot will be administered.

Health departments are receiving doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the two that have been approved so far by the FDA, Jackson said.

Which one is administered to a given patient is strictly a matter of availability.

“Both vaccines have very similar formulas and their efficacy rates are close to the same and side effects are comparable,” she said. “We’re not able to accommodate anyone’s choice of one over the other.”

Both vaccines require two doses, administered three weeks apart. An appointment for the second dose is scheduled the same day a patient receives the first.

As of Saturday, 50,330 doses have been administered statewide, according to online numbers posted by the state health department.

Although she did not have the Kingfisher County number available, Jackson said Tuesday that 2,745 Pfizer and 2,170 Moderna vaccines had been administered in her seven counties.

Those numbers include vaccinations given before Christmas to frontline hospital workers in the first phase of the state’s distribution plan, Jackson said.

The health department aided in the vaccination of those recipients, who are scheduled to receive their second doses soon.

Back to Good News

Jackson said the speed at which viable vaccines have been rolled out and the demand for distribution are both positive steps forward.

“We’re so privileged to be part of this mobilization,” she said. “It’s been a huge effort for so many partners to get it out really quickly and it’s encouraging that so many people are willing to receive the vaccine.”

Private health care providers will soon be able to distribute vaccines as well, but must first enroll as vaccine providers with the state to be able to receive shipments.

“I do not know when other providers willbegin receiving shipments, but we’re encouraging them to sign up online,” she said.

Private health care providers also will be required to follow state priorities as to who gets vaccinated when.

A specific timeline for when the vaccine will be available to residents of any age has not been determined.