Apr. 6—Vaccine supply in Oklahoma has outpaced demand for the shots, which means it’s now far easier to get vaccinated than it was weeks ago.

With COVID-19 vaccination appointments going unfilled in recent weeks, state health officials are trying to impart a sense of urgency and emphasize that the vaccines are a chance to get ahead of thevirus as it swells in other parts of the country.

“It’s so important that we get as many people vaccinated as possible as quickly as possible, so that we just don’t give it the opportunity to resurge in our communities,” said Keith Reed, Oklahoma’s deputy commissioner of health.

Many have eagerly signed up for a shot: Over 25% of the state’s adults are now fully vaccinated, and about 43% have received at least one dose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a recent statewide survey of Oklahomans, about 53% of respondents said they were either fully or partially vaccinated.

Of those who said they had not yet been vaccinated or did not answer the question, about 20.6% said they would definitely get the vaccine, and 19.7% said they probably would, according to the survey conducted by Amber Integrated, which polled 500 registered voters over two days at the end of March.

About 19.7% of the poll respondents said they probably wouldn’t get the vaccine, and about 34.5% said they definitely wouldn’t.

While it will eventually play a role, vaccine hesitancy isn’t driving lower demand for vaccines at this point, Reed said. The state is still vaccinating Oklahomans at a steady clip, he said — just with much more vaccine available than it had earlier in the rollout.

“Before we get to hesitancy, I think there’s a stage that we haven’t talked a lot about, which is probably vaccine complacency, where there’s not really that sense of urgency,” Reed said. “In which case, it’s important for us to make sure it’s available in an easy way for people to get it.”

So far, the state’s strategy has centered around setting up vaccine distribution events and asking residents to make appointments in advance to come to them. State officials have said they plan to shift strategies to offer more sameday or walk-in appointments — and to get vaccines in the hands of trusted providers like doctors’ offices and local pharmacies.

“If somebody really has been concerned about getting vaccinated, we want them to be able to talk to their provider, that person that they trust the most, so they can get that direct medical advice based off of their individual circumstances,” Reed said.

Sean Bauman, president and CEO of IMMY Labs, which has partnered with state and local officials to host several large-scale vaccination events including in Norman and Oklahoma City, said he’s noticed appointments have been slower to fill lately.

“We’re seeing demand slow down a bit, and I say that from the perspective of what used to take us minutes to fill one of our big PODs now is taking days,” he said.

At a recent IMMY vaccine event at the Bennett Event Center in Oklahoma City, officials allowed walk-in vaccinations.

“That was well received,” Bauman said. “Despite that, we still didn’t fill it.”

The site had been prepared to give a little over 10,000 shots, he said, and ended up giving closer to 9,300. That could be because there are more opportunities than ever to get a vaccine, Bauman said.

“I think supply is outpacing demand, which is a great problem to have, right?” he said. “The most important thing is go get a shot as soon as you can get a shot,” whether it’s at a mass-vaccination site or a smaller provider.

Officials have stressed that the wait for vaccines is over — everyone over 16 in Oklahoma is eligible for a shot.

Schools and students may also have a role to play in driving COVID-19 vaccinations, said Anika Wilson, director of health services for Oklahoma City Public Schools. Because older students, 16 and up, are eligible for vaccines, the school district plans to educate them about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and hopes that they’ll share that information with their families.