Arizona opens vaccine eligibility to ages 55 and up at 2 state sites

PHOENIX — Arizona announced another leap forward in its vaccination calendar Monday, opening eligibility at two state-run sites for anyone 55 years of age or older.

The lowered age eligibility is an extension from the 65 and older eligibility group in priority 1B.

The Arizona Department of Health Services is opening 50,000 appointments at State Farm Stadium in Glendale and Phoenix Municipal Stadium at noon Tuesday for the new group.

Appointments will start Thursday. Registration is available through the state health department’s website.

“As more vaccine reaches Arizona, we will continue refining our plan to maximize the benefits of this still-limited resource,” Dr. Cara Christ, the state’s health director, said in a press release.

“Moving to a hybrid approach will allow us to rapidly and efficiently administer the vaccine and provide all Arizonans with a clearer estimate of when they will be eligible to be vaccinated.”

The state also introduced a plan for when counties should begin lowering the required age to receive the vaccine at sites that aren’t run by ADHS.

Local health departments may transition to the next age category when 55% of the current age category has received the vaccine or if they feel there’s no longer demand for the shots.

The state health department will begin displaying that information on its vaccine dashboard.

Since vaccine distribution began in December, more than 1.8 million doses have been administered and about 600,000 Arizonans have received both doses.

For information about availability across the state, the ADHS website has a vaccine-finder page with a map of locations and information about registration.

The website also has an eligibility-checker tool that lets you know if you are cleared to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Check with your local health departments for sites that aren’t run by the state, because eligibility can vary by county.

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