AZDHS updates its COVID-19 panel providing additional vaccine data

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Health Services released a new update on Tuesday for its COVID-19 panel, providing more demographic data related to the state’s vaccine administration efforts.

Health officials said the data show the total number of doses of vaccines administered, the total number of vaccines administered each day, the number of Arizonans receiving their first dose and the number of Arizonans with the complete series.

Data showing the age, race, ethnicity and sex of people who received the vaccine are also being provided.

According to Tuesday afternoon data, almost 50% of vaccines have already been administered to the white population. Only 8% was administered to the Hispanic population and almost 2% was administered to the black population. A section called Another Race / Unknown, comprising almost 40% of the people administered, was also part of the panel in Tuesday’s announcement.

Along with the update of the panel, the director of AZDHS, Dr. Cara Christ, posted a blog explaining the phased approach to the distribution of the vaccine and how the demographic data described should not yet align with the demographic data of the general population.

“Due to the phased approach to vaccine distribution, the demographic data presented here should not yet align with the demographics of the general population,” said Dr. Cara Christ. “For example, the distribution of age or race / ethnicity among the population of health professionals, category of protective services and education and childcare professionals is not the same as the distribution among the general population of Arizona.”

Dr. Christ added that the health department expects demographics to be more in line with those of the general population as Arizona begins to vaccinate Phase 1C and Phases 2 and 3.