Independent Oklahoma Pharmacies Work To Prevent COVID-19 Vaccines From Going To Waste

Independent pharmacies are working hard to meet the demand to vaccinate Oklahomans eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Pharmacies in the state are vaccinating Oklahomans in Phases 1 through 3, but there are some instances where people in Phase 4 could be able to get vaccinated.

Lindy Rowland has been vaccinating people at Rowland Pharmacy in Tulsa for about a month. He said overall it's been a smooth process.

"We have Moderna here, we started out with Johnson & Johnson and that's been a very popular one, but after it was depleted, they sent Moderna, they ordered more but they did not have it to send," Rowland said. 

Rowland said because of high demand for Johnson and Johnson, he's created a waitlist for people wanting the vaccine. However, he said he wants to urge people to accept whatever vaccine is available to them, instead of waiting. 

"We probably have 80 on our waitlist, before I was here 30 minutes today, I probably had ten calls about the Johnson &  Johnson vaccine and I hate telling people I don't have it, but I had to," he said. 

In Broken Arrow, Todd Pendergraft has been administering COVID-19 vaccines for about three weeks at Broken Arrow Family Drug. 

Pendergraft said at first, he saw a high demand for vaccinations, but in the past few days it's tapered off.  He said he believes that is because some people may not realize independent pharmacies are vaccinating. 

"A lot of patients, especially those over the age of 65, are very locked into the state portal, and are aware of the vaccines available at those clinics or those pods but are not aware of other areas," Pendergraft said. 

Both pharmacists said they are following the state's vaccine phases, but if a vial of vaccine doses is already opened and is going to go to waste, they may vaccinate people who are not eligible yet. 

"When we have remaining doses at any of the clinics it does not matter what phase that person is in, we are to get those doses to any patient who wants to get them," Pendergraft said. 

Pendergraft said the best way to see which pharmacy is offering vaccinations is by searching on the website vaccinefinder.org.