Dr. Cara Christ, right, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, receives first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 at Arizona State Department of Health Services Laboratory from Nurse Machrina Leach, Wednesday, May 16 December, 2020, in Phoenix. (Photo by AP / Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX – As Arizona continues plans to expand the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine, top state officials are worried about dose depletion.
“We had a conversation yesterday that I didn’t think we’d have any time soon,” said Governor Doug Ducey. KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday.
“My team had some concerns that we might run out of vaccines.”
Ducey said the state, which opened a 24-hour vaccine site at Glendale State Farm this week, is receiving gunfire “as soon as it enters” from the federal government.
“We do not want to run out of vaccines, but we urge the administration and the private sector to bring more vaccines to the state,” he said.
Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, also mentioned supply concerns Thursday.
“We asked our federal partners for an additional vaccine because we are very pleased with the demand and the number of Arizonans who want to get vaccinated,” she said. The Mike Broomhead show.
Christ said the 42,000 doses allocated for the State Farm Stadium site are all being spoken for four days after the registration opens.
“We plan to use all of this and more this week and get the next weekly allowance next week,” she said. “We have a lot of requests, so we’re trying to make sure everyone who has an appointment gets their vaccine here at State Farm Stadium.”
Glendale Stadium is booked until January and has not yet started accepting bookings for February.
But on Thursday, the state announced plans to open a second mass vaccination site on February 1, this one at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. However, slots may be limited when registration opens Tuesday at 9 p.m.
“The number of appointments available will be completely dependent on the number of doses we have,” Christ said. “So we’re still working to see what these projections look like.”
The demand will increase only after the state has stated that it reduces the age threshold for current eligibility by 10 years to 65 years.
This update was made after the federal authorities changed their recommendations for prioritizing photos, while the offer is limited.
According to state officials, 85% of Arizonans who died from COVID-19 and more than half who were hospitalized were 65 or older.
Most Arizona counties, including Maricopa, are in the priority segment of Phase 1B. This group initially consisted of educators, childcare workers, law enforcement and adults aged 75 and over.
The state’s age limit will be reduced to 65 on Tuesday, adding about 750,000 Arizonans to the eligible segment.
Anyone in Arizona in Priority Phase 1B or Phase 1A is eligible for a hit at a state-run facility.
“Keep in mind that not all counties are in Phase 1B of Arizona,” Christ said. “And given the limited resources, not every county may be able to prioritize in the same way that the state is, so it’s really county-by-county.”
In addition to the logistical complexity of the launch, the two vaccines that have received emergency use in the United States require two separate doses a few weeks apart.
When Maricopa County entered Phase 1B this week, the schedules at the five county-run sites were quickly resolved, as many slots had already been taken by Phase 1A people who were getting the second hit.
Maricopa County said on Thursday that it does not lower the age limit below 75, due to the limited offer.
Availability may vary as conditions change, so anyone who has not been able to find an appointment should return regularly. As of Thursday afternoon, the county’s registration page showed limited availability on two sites: Arizona State Fairgrounds and Banner Sun City West.
When supplies are more plentiful, plans provide for vaccines to be readily available through pharmacies, medical offices, emergency care centers and other options, such as flu vaccines.
The Arizona Department of Health has a vaccine search page with a statewide map of active and pending locations and links to registration sites.