Arizona’s vaccination pace is picking up, but the rollout is still moving slowly
By Alison Steinbach | Arizona Republic
Only 101,030 doses of the states 314,750 vaccines had been administered through Monday. That means Arizona has more than two thirds of its vaccine supply in storage, with more doses on the way.
Arizona this week should get another 140,000 vaccine doses, 60,000 of which will be second doses for individuals who’ve already received their first shot. That would bring the statewide total for doses received to nearly 255,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses and more than 201,000 Moderna doses, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The state is almost entirely still in Phase 1A of vaccination, prioritizing health care workers, health care support operations, emergency medical services workers and long-term care facility staff and residents. Vaccination has been happening for about two to three weeks, depending on location.
Shots are going on in all 15 Arizona counties, but the situation varies, with Pima County including Tucson vaccinating at the highest rate statewide as of Tuesday, and with Pinal and Gila counties moving to Phase 1B to target adults 75 and older and groups of essential workers.
Overall, Arizona’s vaccination rate as of Tuesday was 1,405 per 100,000 people, according to the state. That puts Arizona near the middle of the pack for vaccination rates across the country, according to an NBC News tracker.
