Appointments at Arizona’s state-run vaccine sites available Friday morning

PHOENIX – Appointments for next week at Arizona’s five state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites will be released at 11 a.m. Friday.

With previous mass releases, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported how many spots would be available at each site. But as of Friday morning, the agency hadn’t announced the numbers.

The University of Arizona said Thursday it had 13,650 appointments for the state-run Tucson site. But it’s unclear how many spots will be up for grabs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the Yuma Convention Center or the new state-run site in east Mesa.

Appointments can be booked online at https://podvaccine.azdhs.gov/ or by calling 844-542-8201.

The spots are for first doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week, when a series of changes to combat rising temperatures will be in effect.

State Farm Stadium, which has been running 24/7 since launching Jan. 11, will close at midnight Saturday and reopen Sunday under new daily hours, 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.

On Friday morning, the state announced it will close the State Farm Stadium parking lot site on April 23 and replace it with an indoor operation at neighboring Gila River Arena that day.

Shots will be given at the home of the Arizona Coyotes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

In another previously announced change, the Chandler-Gilbert Community College site will give its last jab on Saturday. It will be replaced Monday with an indoor drive-thru location at the Dexcom distribution center near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

A week’s worth of appointments for the state-run sites are released every Friday at the same time.

Last week, about 77,000 spots for this week were filled within three hours.

For other Valley availability, the Maricopa County Public Health website has an online vaccine finder that shows pharmacies, government-run sites, health clinics and pop-up distribution events along with links to the applicable registration pages.

Additional spots can open at any time through any provider because of cancellations and additional deliveries, so vaccine seekers should continue checking any or all of the registration options regularly.

Although appointments are required, all adults are eligible at the state-run sites as well as any other vaccine provider in Maricopa County. The minimum age is 16 for the Pfizer vaccine and 18 for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots.

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