Vaccine website costs state nearly $500K
The Oklahoma Health Department will pay nearly half a million dollars to Microsoft for the company's work to build the state's COVID-19 vaccine scheduling website.
Documents from the Health Department show the company billed $472,302 for creation of the website. Additional costs are likely as Microsoft makes continued enhancements.
Many of the C OVID19 vaccine appointments made in the state have been booked through the state's scheduling portal, vaccinate. oklahoma.gov.
But some Oklahoma seniors have struggled to navigate the website. Many Oklahomans have expressed frustration about the lack of available appointments on the website — a result of limited vaccine supply.
Microsoft is constantly working with the state Health Department to adjust and improve the website, said Dr. David Rhew, the company's chief medical officer.
“This is an ongoing discussion ,” he said .“We have a state and local government team dedicated to Oklahoma, and they continue to work very closely with the Department of Health and government officials.”
Microsoft is doing similar work in cities, states and countries around the globe, Rhew said.
There' s not a one-sizefits-all model, but there are common needs across the spectrum, he said.
Most entities wanted to be able to register individuals into a system and then allow residents to use that system to schedule their vaccine appointments. Oklahoma officials also wanted to tie the scheduling element in with vaccine tracking and allowing health care entities and other providers to report to the state's immunization registry, Rhew said.
"One of the unique things that Oklahoma has implemented ... is this concept of being able to register individuals who may not be within the eligibility criteria," Rhew said. "So, what would happen, is they would actually receive an email, at a later point, when the state moves into the next category."
As of Feb. 15, the work order from Microsoft had not been paid.
The agency will cover the costs with state funds, but plans to seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said a spokeswoman for the state Health Department.
State health officials originally planned to schedule vaccination appointments through a tool from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but hired Microsoft to build the website from scratch after discovering the CDC technology didn't meet Oklahoma's needs.
Oklahoma Deputy Commissioner of Health Keith Reed said at the time the CDC-provided platform wouldn't integrate with Oklahoma' s vaccine registry, which would require providers to learn a new system.
The website launched in early January.
At least 477,397 Oklahomans have received at least one COVID-19 shot. More than 200,000 have received both shots in the series.
Not all vaccine providers use the state's scheduling portal. Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacies are scheduling appointments through their own websites. The Oklahoma City-County Health Department has begun offering vaccine appointments through www.vaxokc.com.