Dignity Health medical assistant Lisa Keeney, signs in a patient for their COVID-19 vaccination at Dignity Health’s county POD site at Chandler-Gilbert Community College on Feb. 4, 2021./Cheryl Evans/The Republic
Stephanie Innes | Arizona Republic
Maricopa County officials starting on Monday are expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to those ages 65 and older.
County health officials estimate there are nearly 400,000 adults ages 65 through 74 eligible for the vaccine in Maricopa County.
Appointments for that age group to get vaccinated will begin opening up on Monday, county officials say, but individuals in that age group can start making appointments right now, so long as the appointment dates are Monday or later.
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As of Thursday, the county said nearly 44% of Maricopa County residents ages 75 and older — 121,643 people — had received at least one dose of vaccine.
Maricopa County’s six PODs (point of distribution sites) will now all be vaccinating those 65 and older, which the state-operated vaccine sites at State Farm Stadium and Phoenix Municipal Stadium are already doing.
The decision by Maricopa County to expand eligibility to those in the 65 and older age group parallels eligibility for the federal pharmacy vaccine program, which will allow those 65 and older to receive vaccinations at some pharmacies in the county.
“The data shows that our decision to provide older adults a little extra time to access vaccine has proven successful and the timing is now right to invite our residents 65 and older to step up and get vaccinated,” Marcy Flanagan, director of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health department, said in a news release.
