COVID-19 vaccinations slowing down in Arizona six months into rollout
Jun 14, 2021, 4:45 AM | Updated: 5:35 am
(Facebook photo/Arizona Department of Health Services)
(Facebook photo/Arizona Department of Health Services)
PHOENIX — Six months into the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Arizona, fewer people are lining up to get the shot.
About 72,000 doses were being administered per day statewide at the peak of vaccinations toward the end of March and the beginning of April. Now, it’s down to about 17,000.
The pace of vaccinations is also slowing down in Maricopa County, where about 10,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are being given out daily.
“At the peak, when the vaccine was first available, we were seeing upwards of 30,000 doses a day being administered — so it has slowed down,” Marcy Flanagan, executive director of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
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Flanagan pointed out some people haven’t been vaccinated because they still aren’t sure and have questions about the vaccines, while others face barriers such as transportation.
About 50% of all Maricopa County residents who are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine have gotten at least one dose. The county aims to increase that number through the “Take Care” campaign launched last week.
“It really is to let people know that vaccines are safe, they’re effective and they do prevent serious illness of COVID-19,” Flanagan said.
The campaign will include television and radio ads, billboards and social media promotions in English and Spanish. It’ll feature Maricopa County residents sharing why they got vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as images from vaccine events organized by the county.
The campaign also seeks to let people know it’s okay to have questions about the vaccines, and it encourages people to seek out information from trusted sources, including family doctors, health care providers and public health professionals.
