OSDH piloting text notification system for COVID-19 vaccine updates in District 8

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) will pilot a new text notification system today to send second dose appointment updates to those who registered for the COVID-19 vaccine through the Vaccine Scheduler Portal.

About 2,400 people who have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in District 8 may receive a text message today from OSDH. Counties in this district include: Carter County, Garvin County, Jefferson County, Johnston County, Love County, Marshall County, Murray County, Pontotoc County, Stephens County. This message is not a scam. 

The text message is intended to help recipients schedule their second dose who didn’t receive specific instructions from their provider when they received the first dose.

The text message will say, “Please book your second dose of COVID-19 Vaccine by registering and booking an appointment on the www.vaccinate.oklahoma.gov website.” It will come from a non-Oklahoma area code — a 1-833 number. 

Please note there will be two text messages sent. The follow-up text will include a website link to the Vaccine Scheduler Portal FAQs that provide more detailed instructions on how a person secures an appointment.

“Our most commonly reported issue with the vaccine portal is that some people aren’t receiving their confirmation email, or it’s going to spam,” said Deputy Commissioner Keith Reed. “As with everything in the vaccine plan, we’re always looking to improve accessibility and provide more points of contact. This text alert system should help notify folks about next steps for scheduling their COVID-19 vaccine appointments.”

The text from OSDH today will prompt recipients to either re-register or update their registration in the Vaccine Scheduler Portal to get a new link to schedule their second dose appointment.

“If the pilot is successful, we will look into rolling it out in other communities across the state,” Reed said.

District 8 was chosen for this pilot because a significant number of people in this area had received their first dose and were available to test the system.

More information on this pilot system and how to schedule your second dose can be found in the Vaccine Scheduler Portal FAQs:
https://oklahoma.gov/covid19/vaccine-information/vaccine-faqs.html

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