State-run UArizona COVID-19 vaccine site now accepting walk-ins

PHOENIX — The state-run University of Arizona COVID-19 vaccine site announced it is now accepting walk-ins as of Thursday.

The site operates daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Anyone can now show up to the site and be vaccinated, with the option of a drive-thru clinic on the University of Arizona Mall or a sit-down clinic at the Ina E. Gittings Building at 1737 E. University Blvd.

The Gittings Building option has been accepting walk-ins for the past two weeks, according to the release.

The drive-thru option will discontinue at the end of the day on May 2 due to rising temperatures.

Those who want to make an appointment ahead of time can still do so online. On Friday at 11 a.m., 7,000 first-dose vaccine appointments will open for the following week with additional same-day appointments available each day based on capacity.

The announcement of walk-ins now being available at the UArizona site follows Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ telling KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Thursday that the agency was going to look at taking walk-ins at state sites.

Demand for vaccine appointments at state-run sites have been dipping since eligibility was opened to all adults in late March, with around 30,000 appointments still available for this week as of Monday from the previous week’s Friday drop.

“We are starting to see our demand drop off. So our supply now is meeting our demand,” Christ said. “There is plenty of vaccine for whoever wants it.”

More than 2.7 million people in the state have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ dashboard, representing 38.8% of the state’s population.

The state surpassed the milestone of two million people being fully vaccinated against the virus on Thursday.

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