On Wednesday, March 24, Arizona will open its vaccine eligibility to residents who are 16 years of age and older. The previous change to this policy came a few weeks back when Gov. Doug Ducey expanded eligibility to those 55 years of age and older.
“Our goal has been and remains to get vaccine into the community as quickly, widely and equitably as possible,” Ducey said. “Given a thorough review of vaccination data, anticipated vaccine supply, and current demand among prioritized groups, now is the time to take this critical next step.”
As of this morning, Arizona has administered 2,904,159 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to 1,831,456 individuals, including 1,136,413 who are fully vaccinated, per the governor’s office. According to The New York Times, 25.2% of Arizona’s population has been given at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 14.4% has been fully vaccinated.
Currently, the state operates five different vaccine sites, including the State Farm Stadium, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University’s Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Chandler-Gilbert Community College and a new site opening at Yuma Civic Center in Yuma County on Friday, March 26.
“We anticipate more and more vaccine reaching Arizona heading into April, making it possible now to expand prioritization,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. “We have been flexible and nimble throughout, while expanding the availability of state sites to vaccinate large numbers of people rapidly.”
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