Unused COVID-19 Vaccines Remain After Clinic Officially Closes In Tulsa

A month and a half into distributing COVID-19 vaccines, the Tulsa Community Vaccination Center will be moving 55,000 leftover vaccines to other Tulsa Health Department locations.

The city’s health department said this is a good sign. 

THD said it had the ability to vaccinate 3,000 people per day.

Instead, they only administered just over 5,000 vaccines total through June 9.

THD manager of emergency preparedness Alicia Etgen said once 30 percent of Tulsa County residents were vaccinated, they saw a drop in shots distributed.

As cases continue to decline and the fully vaccinated percentage is on the rise, Etgen said she sees it as a glass half-full.

"I don't want to take any negative spin on this," Etgen said. "I look at it as. Everybody makes a choice as to whether or not they can take the vaccine and if their doctor says it's OK, then we definitely want them to get that vaccine, if they're aged 12 or over. We have the option for them to get Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson." 

Etgen said there is still work to be done in getting everyone vaccinated, and she encourages everyone who hasn't been vaccinated to take advantage of the high supply.

"Every Oklahoma resident aged 12 and over who comes and gets vaccinated is going to contribute to the health and wellness to everyone in the community, and it's really important for those of us to stay vaccinated in order to protect our friends and family from getting sick from COVID," Etgen said. 

If you want a list to all the Tulsa Health Department locations, we have a link to that here.