Arizona to open COVID-19 vaccination site at NFL stadium
PHOENIX (AP) — A new COVID-19 vaccination site will open Monday at the suburban Phoenix stadium that is home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals as the state with the worst diagnosis rate in the U.S. moves to expand the availability of vaccine doses.
The new site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale will be capable of vaccinating thousands of people daily, the state Department of Health Services said Friday.
The site will open as Maricopa County, which includes most of metro Phoenix, moves into an expanded eligibility phase that prioritizes people 75 and older as well as groups that include teachers and law enforcement personnel.
“We need to get these vaccine doses out of freezers and into the arms of Arizonans who want it, and our new site will speed up that process,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement.
Arizona on Friday reported 11,658 new known infections and 197 more deaths.
One in every 111 people in the state was diagnosed with the coronavirus from Dec. 31 to Thursday. The rate is obtained by dividing a state’s population by the number of new cases.
The surge is stressing hospitals. There were 4,907 COVID-19 patients hospitalized Thursday, including a pandemic record 1,122 in intensive care, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard.
Arizona’s pandemic totals have reached 596,251 infections and 9,938 deaths. The true number of infections is likely much higher because not everyone is tested and some people can be infected without showing symptoms.
Several other of Arizona’s 15 counties already have moved into the expanded eligibility phase.
Those eligible in the first phase that began last month included health care workers and people who live or work at long-term care facilities.
Ducey’s office announced earlier Friday that the federal government was providing Arizona with $65.8 million to bolster the state’s vaccination program.
The new stadium site was made possibly by a $1 million grant from the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation and support from the Cardinals and other organizations, state officials said.
The state Department of Health Services said Blue Cross Blue Shield would provide most of the stadium site’s staffing while the Arizona have provided the facility, tents, technical assistance, and other support.
