(AP Photo)
PHOENIX – Maricopa County will move to the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations next week, expanding access to teachers, police and the elderly.
According to the Maricopa County Public Health website, the schedule for Phase 1B-prioritized individuals in metro Phoenix will open Monday through the county’s registration system.
The prioritized portion of 1B consists of K-12 school and daycare personnel, law enforcement and protective services personnel, and people 75 and older.
The remainder of Phase 1B, which consists of adults living in a municipal environment and certain essential workers, comes after the prioritized groups.
Initially, the next phase of injections will be given at the county distribution sites that are not yet fully booked with Phase 1A people receiving their second dose of the vaccine.
Due to the scarcity of vaccines, the number of available appointments will be limited. More slots and locations will open as more doses become available.
People in phase 1A who have not been vaccinated can still enroll in the next phase, but are no longer a priority.
Wednesday morning, Maricopa County reported administering 62,068 doses to individuals in Phase 1A of the distribution plan.
Two Arizona counties, Gila and Pinal, are already in Phase 1B.
Yuma County announced it is moving to 1B on Monday, while Pima County said it is aiming for the end of next week.
Vaccine distribution in Arizona began on December 16. Up to Tuesday, the state had administered 119,653 doses, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
With millions of people prioritized for Stages 1A, 1B, and 1C, government officials have said they don’t expect vaccines to be available to the general public until March or April.