UPCOMING EVENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Dec. 17, 2020 

As VA releases vaccine distribution plan, OKC VA begins vaccinating Veterans and frontline health care workers 

OKLAHOMA CITY — On December 15, 2020, The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced publication of its dynamic VA Vaccination Distribution Plan, and the Oklahoma City VA Health Care  System (OKCVAHCS) began vaccinating Veterans and frontline health care  employees this week. 

This  follows the Food and Drug Administration’s Dec. 11 decision to issue an  Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. 

OKCVAHCS  is one of the first 37 VA sites across the country selected to provide  the vaccines for its ability to vaccinate large numbers of people and  store the vaccines at extremely cold temperatures. 

“After  many months of tireless efforts, we are thrilled the vaccine is here  and honored to be one of the first VA sites to administer it,” said Wade  Vlosich, OKCVAHCS Director.  

“We are following the VA COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan to ensure a safe, evidence-based and equity-focused vaccine rollout for VA frontline workers and Veterans” 

“VA  employees have provided life-saving COVID-19 care to thousands upon  thousands of people, and this plan demonstrates how the department  continues to play a crucial role in the nation’s response to the pandemic,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. 

The plan released Monday addresses vaccinations for Veterans, staff, and other federal  partners, and includes a risk stratification framework for identifying  the population(s) at highest risk to receive the vaccine. The plan will  be updated over the next two weeks to reflect final recommendations and specifications from FDA and the Centers for  Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19 vaccines authorized  through FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization process.

The plan covers vaccine distribution in the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S.  territories where VA provides health care to Veterans, as well as  vaccine safety monitoring and vaccine reporting as required by the CDC  and Operation Warp Speed. 

Veterans seeking additional information should visit the VA Coronavirus Vaccine FAQs webpage, contact their care team, or visit the facility website.