(AP Photo / Terry Tang)
PHOENIX – Arizona’s chief health officer said on Friday that people who don’t have an appointment to get the coronavirus vaccine may still have ways to end the injection.
Arizona Department of Health Services director Dr. Cara Christ said at a news conference that the clinical staff at the vaccination site is tasked with making the decision to vaccinate someone in the car with a person who has an appointment. checked.
Aspects that influence this decision include the number of no-shows on a given day and whether the person in the vehicle is a caretaker for the individual scheduled for the shoot, saying that person may still put other people at risk.
People in the car could also receive the injection if they had an appointment, but were not scheduled for that day, as long as there is enough staff and the vaccine is available.
This, said Christ, allows people to go to the vaccination site only twice instead of four.
“They are making clinical judgments on a case-by-case basis to make sure that we are getting the most vaccines, that none are being wasted and that we are trying to be as friendly as possible in customer service,” said Christ.
Those in phase 1B or priority phase 1A are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine at state facilities, including State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
This includes people in health care, emergency services, long-term care facility staff and residents, along with education and daycare workers, protective service occupations and adults aged 75 and over.
The state’s age limit will be lowered to 65 on Tuesday, but vaccination sites administered by some counties, including Maricopa County, will remain at the current 75-year requirement.
More than 232,000 people were vaccinated across the state as of the AZDHS report on Friday, with more than 600,000 vaccines ordered.