Dr. Cara Christ discusses the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine
Dr. Cara Christ, of the Arizona Department of Health Services, spoke to reporters on March 22, after state officials announced that Arizonans aged 16 and over are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination.
PHOENIX (AP) – Any Arizonan aged 16 or over can now register for a COVID-19 vaccine at state vaccination sites in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma County as of March 24, Governor Doug Ducey said in a statement.
“Our goal was and remains to get the vaccine to the community as quickly, widely and equitably as possible,” said Governor Ducey in an announcement made on March 22. “Given a complete review of vaccination data, early vaccine supply and current demand among prioritized groups, now is the time to take this next critical step.”
Consultations are opening at 11am every Friday for State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Tempe, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, University of Arizona in Tucson and Yuma Civic Center in Yuma County.
Sites that use the Pfizer vaccine can immunize anyone aged 16 and over, while the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines are approved for those aged 18 and over.
Arizonans aged 16 and over can schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine from March 24
This applies to all consultations available at government-run locations in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties.
Arizona is among the first states to allow anyone to register for vaccination appointments. President Joe Biden said he wants states to take this measure by May 1 and seek to vaccinate everyone who wants an injection by the end of May.
About 2.9 million doses of vaccine have been administered to about 1.1 million people so far in Arizona, according to state officials.
The change applies only to vaccination sites administered by the state, which distributed most of the vaccines in Arizona, but are in urban areas. Counties and some pharmacies have their own vaccine supplies and eligibility criteria, such as a health condition or a job in an essential industry.
Anyone who needs extra help to register can call the state helpline at 1-844-542-8201.
Find Arizona vaccination locations here: http://azhealth.gov/findvaccine
Schedule an appointment on a state website here: https://podvaccine.azdhs.gov/
Health officials on Monday reported 484 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, but no deaths, marking another day of a downward trend in the coronavirus outbreak.
Arizona’s pandemic totals have now increased to 836,737 cases and 16,745 deaths known since the pandemic began.
The number of infections is believed to be much higher than reported because many people have not been tested and studies suggest that people can be infected with the virus without feeling bad.
State health officials said the number of confirmed or suspected coronavirus patients hospitalized in Arizona dropped to 647 on Sunday.
In addition, the number of ICU beds used by patients with COVID-19 has dropped to 180.
Arizona’s weekly positivity percentage for the COVID-19 diagnostic test, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, is at least five months away.
Read the full version: https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2021/03/arizona-expands-covid-19-vaccination-eligibility-all
The Associated Press contributed to this report.