Over 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered in Arizona. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program making vaccines available at more grocery stores and pharmacies, people have more options for getting their doses.
“I’m an evangelist for getting the vaccine into local settings like pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and community health centers,” Will Humble, Executive Director of the Arizona Public Health Association and former Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said in an email. “Bringing the vaccine to the people rather than bringing the people to the vaccine.”
Humble, and other public health experts, see these settings as an opportunity to avoid flawed state scheduling systems and other issues that arise with mass vaccination sites. In some cases, those who have scheduled an appointment in a more localized setting such as a neighborhood pharmacy do not require a car — they can simply walk up to their appointment.
Adults age 55+ and certain frontline essential workers are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination in Maricopa County. The Maricopa County Department of Public Health expanded access on March 1 to more frontline workers, including those who work in grocery stores, transit and more.
According to from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, 46.2% of the eligible population of 85004 and 33.7% of the eligible population of 85006 has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of March 11.
These numbers are expected to climb as eligibility expands into the spring and summer and more vaccination sites open. President Joe Biden on March 11 gave states directive to make all U.S. adults eligible by May 1.
Here’s where you can get a COVID-19 vaccination in downtown Phoenix.
Disclaimer: Information is accurate at time of publication. For the most up-to-date information and to find locations beyond downtown Phoenix, visit azhealth.gov/findvaccine or call 844-542-8201.
Contact the reporter at mailport@asu.edu.
Michelle Ailport is a graduate student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In addition to being arts and entertainment editor for Downtown Devil, she also writes Downtown Digest, a weekly column with things to do.
