3 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered In Oklahoma; Demand Declining

Oklahoma reached a milestone Thursday with more than three million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered. But it comes as demand is way down across the state.

The state health department said 54 percent of adults in Oklahoma have been vaccinated, but their goal is to get that number to 65 percent.

Deputy Commissioner of Health Keith Reed said surveys show that about two-thirds of Oklahomans are willing to get the shot, while the remaining third refuses to get it. While the state is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated, they know that it's a personal choice and are working hard to reach that two-thirds goal.

Reed said during the state's peak of vaccine rollout, they averaged about 28,000 doses a day. That number is now down to about 4,500 doses a day.

Because of the lower demand, Reed said the state is in danger of having to throw out expired vaccine at the end of this month. That includes about 75,000 doses of Johnson and Johnson, 26,000 doses of Pfizer and about a thousand doses of Moderna.

"We got some information actually earlier today that the FDA is likely to give us some more guidance about the possibility of extending shelf life on some of our vaccine that is coming up for expiration dates," said Reed.

Reed said so far fewer than 10,000 doses have expired. They haven't thrown them away yet but are waiting for guidance from the federal government.