Dr. Cara Christ, right, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, receives the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 at the Arizona Department of Health Services State Laboratory from nurse Machrina Leach, Wednesday, December 16. 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo / Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX – As Arizona continues plans to expand distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, senior government officials are concerned about the doses running out.
“We had a conversation yesterday that I didn’t think we would have anytime soon,” said Governor Doug Ducey KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday.
“My team was concerned that the vaccines might run out.”
Ducey said the state, which opened a 24-hour high-capacity vaccination site at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale this week, will be fired on by the federal government “ as soon as they come in. ”
“We don’t want to run out of vaccines, but I am pushing very hard on the administration and the private sector to get us more vaccines to the state,” he said.
Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, also mentioned delivery concerns on Thursday.
“We have asked our federal partners for a supplemental vaccine because we are very satisfied with the demand and the number of Arizonans who want to be vaccinated,” she said. The Mike Broomhead Show.
Christ said the 42,000 doses assigned to the State Farm Stadium site will all be delivered four days after registration opens.
“We plan to use all that and more this week and get that next weekly allocation next week,” she said. “We are in high demand, so we try to make sure everyone who has an appointment here at State Farm Stadium gets their vaccine.”
The Glendale stadium venue is all booked through January and has not yet started accepting reservations for February.
But on Thursday, the state announced plans to open a second mass vaccination site on Feb. 1, this one at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. However, the number of slots may be limited when registration opens at 09:00 on Tuesday.
“The number of appointments available will depend entirely on the number of doses we will receive,” Christ said. “So we’re still trying to see what those projections look like.”
Demand will only increase after the state said it lowered the age limit for current eligibility by 10 years to 65.
That update was made after federal authorities changed their recommendations for prioritizing shots while supply is limited.
According to government officials, 85% of Arizonans who have died from COVID-19 and more than half who are hospitalized are 65 or older.
Most Arizona counties, including Maricopa, are in the priority segment of Phase 1B. That group initially consisted of educators, childcare workers, law enforcement officers, and adults 75 and older.
The state’s age limit will be lowered to 65 on Tuesday, adding approximately 750,000 Arizonans to the eligible segment.
Anyone in Arizona in Priority Stage 1B or Stage 1A is eligible for admission to a state-run facility.
“Keep in mind that not every county is in Phase 1B in Arizona,” said Christ. “And given the limited resources, not every province can set the same priorities as the state, so it’s really per province.”
In addition to the logistical complexity of the rollout, the two vaccines that have received emergency authorization in the United States require two doses several weeks apart.
When Maricopa County entered Phase 1B this week, appointments at the five district-run sites were quickly cut short as many slots were already occupied by people in Phase 1A getting their second chance.
Maricopa County said Thursday that the age limit below 75 did not drop due to the limited supply.
Availability can vary with circumstances, so anyone who could not find an appointment should come back regularly. As of Thursday afternoon, the county registration page had limited availability at two locations: the Arizona State Fairgrounds and Banner Sun City West.
When supplies increase, the plans insist that vaccines be readily available through pharmacies, doctor’s offices, emergency care centers and other options, such as with flu shots.
The Arizona Health Department has a vaccine finder page with a nationwide map of active and ongoing locations and links to registration websites.