Glendale

The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Arizona has passed 200,000 as the state and counties collaborate to get more and more vaccine into the arms of prioritized individuals. 

“This is an exciting milestone for Arizona,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). “Any dose that remains in storage remains a challenge to be addressed, but as a state we are gaining momentum in protecting prioritized Arizonans from COVID-19.”

Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) today announced the launch of a second state vaccination site following the success of Arizona’s first 24/7 state vaccination site in Glendale.

An estimated 750,000 more Arizonans are being prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine thanks to updated guidance adding those 65 and older to populations that already include those 75 and older. 

The recommendation by the Arizona Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Advisory Committee (VAPAC), informed by a recommendation from federal partners, is intended to protect those who are most at risk for severe outcomes due to COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death, and to reduce strain on Arizona’s hospitals. VAPAC includes state, local, and tribal experts, and healthcare partners. 

Nearly 4,000 people had been vaccinated by 6 p.m. on the first day of operations at the state’s first 24/7 COVID-19 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. This 24-hour period includes a soft launch and ramp-up.  

“I’m pleased and grateful to see the enthusiastic response not just from our volunteers and staff but from those who are able to use this medical facility to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. 

As a medical doctor, Dr. Christ spent almost three hours administering the vaccine early today. 

In just seven hours today, nearly 44,000 Arizonans have made appointments to be vaccinated at the state’s first 24/7 COVID-19 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. 

Of those appointments, nearly 29,000 are for the site’s first week of operation.  

Registration is open beginning at 9 a.m. for the state’s first 24/7 COVID-19 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, with the first appointments available beginning Tuesday, Jan. 12, for health care workers, first responders, teachers, law enforcement officers, Arizonans over age 75 and others at the top of the priority list for vaccine distribution. The launch of the new state location comes as Arizona’s largest county moves into priority groups in Phase 1B — opening up vaccine access to a substantially larger group of Arizonans.