Christ: Equitable vaccine allocation in Valley will improve with supply

PHOENIX– Arizona’s top health official said Friday she believes COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the Valley will be more equitable in underserved communities as the rollout continues.

A detailed breakdown on the Maricopa County Department of Health’s website shows an economic and racial disparity of vaccines administered in the area.

Data in upscale areas like Scottsdale and Paradise Valley reveal nearly everybody who is eligible for a vaccine has got their first dose, while portions of the West Valley like Buckeye and Tonopah show only 10% to 30% of the eligible population has received their first shot.

The same is true for areas of south Phoenix, parts of Glendale and a majority of Mesa where anywhere from 14.8% to 50% of the eligible population has been administered the vaccine.

Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said solving this problem is something the state has been working on for “a long time.”

“As we move out of these very specific professional-based phases, we will be expanding the reach and where we are providing the vaccine,” Christ said.

“What we are doing is trying to move into pharmacies and community health centers in those areas, working with partners such as Equality Health to be able to help register, get people appointments, get people transportation to the appointments or get the appointments into the communities where those individuals are.”

Christ said smaller community-based vaccination events will occur once the state receives more vaccines. The state received just under 175,000 vaccines to the state’s overall allotment from federal partners this week, a number Christ said will likely remain steady until March when more doses will be provided.

Along with economic disparity, the data also shows a racial disparity in vaccines administered.

Of the nearly 430,000 Maricopa County residents who have received their first dose, just under 24,000 Hispanic or Latinos have received the vaccine, about 2.4% of the area’s Hispanic or Latino population.

An area of south Phoenix, which is predominately Hispanic, shows only one in five eligible has got the vaccine.

Christ said the department is working with Equality Health to establish five to 10 consistent, stationary vaccine sites in communities of color.

“Some of them may be where the testing sites were, some may be new,” Christ said. “But we asked them to target them all into highly vulnerable communities of color so we can reach out to those communities.”

“We will be providing support through financial and through staffing.”

Christ said the micro-pods, which she hopes to see begin in March, could be a great partnership to use the new one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine that is expected to receive approval later this month.

Another option the state is looking at to solve the disparity in vaccine distribution is partnerships to provide transportation for people to get to the 24/7 site at State Farm Stadium. Christ hopes to expand to three 24/7 vaccination sites in the future.

“People have different schedules and different hours and we want to make sure that people have access to the vaccine,” Christ said.

Christ said 1.1 million vaccine doses have been administered statewide. Maricopa County is reporting 12.3% of the county’s population has been vaccinated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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