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By Stephanie Innes, Alison Steinbach | Arizona Republic
An intense scramble for COVID-19 vaccines in Arizona that just weeks ago caused frustration, lineups and website problems appears over.
While there are still some areas of Arizona with a steady demand for vaccines, appointments generally are easier to find and, in some cases, not getting filled.
Part of what’s happening is a shift, where doctor’s offices, pharmaciesand neighborhood clinics are expected to eventually become the go-to places for the COVID-19 vaccine, rather than large-scale vaccination sites.
Data from the Arizona Department of Health Services says nearly 37% of the state had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday, and about 24% of the state is fully vaccinated.
“Just a few weeks ago, the idea of being able to hop on to CVS’ site and ADHS’ site and find open appointments would have been unheard of,” said Raymond Embry, CEO of Embry Health, which offers COVID-19 vaccines at clinics across Arizona.
Health experts say it will take at least 70% more of the state’s population to get vaccinated in order to reach what’s known as herd immunity, where enough people are immunized to prevent future outbreaks from occurring.
