Rural Arizona counties can expect COVID-19 vaccine boost soon

PHOENIX – It could be a while before Arizona’s overall COVID-19 vaccine allotment increases significantly, but the state’s rural counties can expect a boost this week, according to Dr. Cara Christ.

The director of the Arizona Department of Health Services said Monday that the state expects to see a 16% increase in its Moderna vaccine delivery this week.

“The rural counties get the majority of our Moderna doses, so that increase will go to help them,” Christ said at a press conference during the opening of the Phoenix Municipal Stadium vaccination site.

Of the two vaccines approved for use in the United States, the Moderna shots are easier to store. The Pfizer doses, which need to be kept at ultra-cold temperatures in specialized freezers, are distributed primarily in the densely populated Phoenix and Tucson regions.

The state’s two mass vaccination sites, State Farm Stadium and Phoenix Municipal Stadium, give Pfizer shots. More than 100,000 doses have been administered at State Farm Stadium since the site launched Jan. 11. Both sites are fully booked through February, although more appointments could be added if the vaccine supply increases.

Christ said Moderna and Pfizer are working to ramp up production, and other manufacturers could gain approval down the road.

For now, though, she said she’s expecting Arizona to get a total weekly allotment of 160,000-170,000 doses in the short term.

“We have been told about the 16% increase in Moderna, and we’re pretty confident that we are going to receive that,” she said.

“What we’ve been told is that they think it’s a pretty steady supply for the next couple of weeks and then we’ll start to see … significant increases weeks after that.”

With two mass vaccination sites capable of giving up to 12,000 shots per day each, Arizona has been trying to acquire more doses. But so have 49 other states.

“We’ve been letting them know we’ll take whatever extra vaccine you have, because we have the capacity in Arizona,” Christ said.

Dr. Christ vaccinated @Arizona_DPS troopers today at the new Phoenix Municipal vaccination site. The site has its capacity limited to around 500 doses a day because of the limited vaccine supply. Find more details on #COVID19 vaccine distribution in AZ: https://t.co/YhTpPhG1Zq pic.twitter.com/BA1X8d712z

— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) February 1, 2021

Only people in phase 1A (front-line health care workers, emergency medical services workers and staff and residents at long-term care facilities) or the priority segment of phase 1B (educators, child care providers, law enforcement and adults 65 and older) are eligible to register at state-run sites.

Eligibility can vary at sites run by counties and other distributors. For example, the age cutoff is 75 for priority 1B at Maricopa County’s points of dispensing. Vaccine availability is tight across the state.

The state health department website has a vaccine-finder page with a map of locations and information about registration.

Follow @kstonezone