Ducey speeds up distribution of Arizona coronavirus vaccines
Governor points to Phoenix test site as a model for the nation - no word on additional shots for Yuma County
PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Gov. Doug Ducey, (R-Ariz.), issued an advisory Tuesday accelerating the statewide distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. The Governor also called for doses to be moved to where they can be administered fastest.
“The COVID-19 vaccination is our best shot at returning to life as it should be. Over the last two weeks, the COVID-19 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium has become a national model for vaccine administration,” said Ducey. “With adequate vaccine doses, we can build on this success, both at our existing vaccination sites, and at additional sites across the state. This advisory will provide transparency in the pace of vaccination administration, and allow us to direct vaccine doses to where they will be most rapidly distributed.”
The advisory requires healthcare providers and local health officials to tell the state how quickly they're dispensing vaccine. Ducey wants the state to allocated doses to those facilities which inoculate the public the fastest.
Read the full text of Governor Ducey's advisory here
“We’re waging a heroic effort to get the COVID-19 vaccine distributed, and it’s been a real team effort,” Governor Ducey said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without the partnerships we’ve formed with the Arizona Cardinals, Walgreens, Arizona State University, the Ivy Foundation, Blue CrossⓇ Blue ShieldⓇ of Arizona, and American Medical Response. We owe a debt of gratitude to each of these organizations, and to all the healthcare workers on the frontlines.”
“Now,” Governor Ducey added, “our federal partners need to do their part. They need to prioritize quicker distribution of the vaccine to the states, so we can get the vaccine out of freezers, off of shelves, and into the arms of Arizonans.”
So far, the state has administered more than 486,000 doses of vaccine. Most of those in Maricopa County, where the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) opened a 24/7 clinic at State Farm Stadium. ADHS estimates the site is distributing an average of 5,200 shots per day.
To date, ADHS says Yuma County has administered nearly 10,000 vaccines total. Just a fraction of the number of people inoculated in the Phoenix area. So far, appointments slots for all the county's vaccine clinics have filled fast. Appointments for the county's last allocation of shots filled within a hour.
No word yet on when the county will receive more vaccine. State lawmakers are working with health officials and federal leaders to try to bring more vaccine to rural Arizona.
