Arizona schools turning into COVID-19 vaccine distribution sites

PHOENIX — School districts across the Valley are turning some of their campuses into COVID-19 vaccine distribution sites.

They’re hosting vaccine events for teachers and other school staff within their geographic boundaries.

Some are doing so in partnership with hospital systems or their local fire departments, while others are partnering with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and local pharmacies.

“There’s a lot of group-leaning, a lot of ability to come together to just see everything happen,” Judah Nativio, emergency preparedness planner for Maricopa County, said while attending a vaccine event at Barry Goldwater High School over the weekend.

According to Nativio, it takes about two weeks to plan these events along with numerous phone conferences to learn from other school districts that have already held similar events.

The county has helped with more than a dozen private school vaccination events. They serve anyone who is an employee of a public, private or charter K-12 school. They’re also open to those who work in childcare facilities, including home-based childcare sites.

The events make it easy for teachers, like Niki Yanez, to get a COVID-19 vaccine. She got hers at the Barry Goldwater High School vaccine event last weekend.

“I’m around kids and staff members every day, so I want to make sure that I’m protecting myself for them, for my own family and myself,” Yanez said, speaking about why she was excited to get vaccinated.

Most school vaccine events are planned for two or three days in a row between Thursday and Sunday. The Moderna vaccine, which comes in two doses, is administered at most of the school sites.

The county plans to host second-dose events at the same locations about five weeks after the first-dose events.

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