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Stephanie Innes
| Republic of Arizona
Maricopa County will open limited registration for the COVID-19 vaccine to members of the Second Priority Group starting Monday.
Priority people in phase 1B will be able to start registering online for appointments on Monday. Places will be limited initially as phase 1A for health workers continues.
“We know everyone is ready to take the next step, and so are we,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director of disease control for the Maricopa County Public Health Department. “We are trying to finalize all of these details as quickly as possible to ensure a smooth experience for anyone who can get the vaccine.”
Information on vaccination locations and the registration process will be posted to maricopa.gov/5651/Phase-1B starting Monday. There is no registration available for 1B individuals prior to this date. The county public health department can be reached at 602-506-6767.
Those who can register first are primary and secondary school staff and early childhood educators; law enforcement officers, protection service workers and government security officers; and adults aged 75 and over.
Education and law enforcement workers should check with their employers before registering in the county, as they may have other vaccine distribution plans.
The other groups in phase 1B, including adults living in communities and other essential workers, will be given priority after the initial groups.
Appointments will first be available at county distribution points (PODs), which were used for Phase 1A vaccinations for health workers and first responders at risk. Individuals in phase 1B will be able to register for open slots on POD sites that are not already reserved for second doses for individuals in phase 1A. People in phase 1A will still be able to register for their first shots alongside priority 1B individuals.
Sunenshine said that instead of completing Phase 1A before moving to 1B, the county is doing a “slow transition” to ensure all available appointments are used. She said the majority of Monday’s appointments are already filled with health workers, but 1B people will be able to fill additional spots.
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“What we are trying to do is open up to the priority groups of 1B as soon as possible because we know people are eager to get vaccinated knowing that we are continuing to vaccinate health workers but not wanting to to lose a single opportunity, ”she said.
As the county receives more doses and ramps up its programs, vaccines will likely be allocated to locations outside of POD sites for these priority groups. This could include immunizations at federally qualified pharmacies and health centers for those aged 75 and over and workplace vaccination clinics for essential workers. There will also be specialized clinics or mini-PODs for school staff and educators.
“We’ve always said that PODs are just one part of vaccine delivery,” Sunenshine said. “The more doses of vaccine we get, the more vaccine we can assign to sites and we can make them available to the public.”
Only people in phase 1A and priority 1B with an appointment will be able to be vaccinated. Walk-ins are not allowed.
People will need to show their appointment confirmation as well as confirmation that they are in phase 1B, such as an ID showing their age or a job badge or paycheck proving the place of work.
The county will update maricopa.gov/covid19vaccine as more groups can get vaccinated and more sites open, with the ultimate goal of vaccinating as many county residents as needed.
After phase 1B comes 1C, which includes adults 65 years of age and older and adults with high-risk health conditions.
Phase 2 (spring and summer) includes the remaining individuals from phase 1, other high-risk or critical populations, and the general population.
Phase 3 (summer and beyond) consists of individuals from phase 1 and 2 and the general population.
Pima County will soon begin the next phase
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Pima County plans to start completing Phase 1A so it can move to 1B by the end of next week. County health officials say 1B is a large group that will require “considerable effort and logistics.”
The county is hoping to facilitate “multiple entry points” for Major Group 1B to receive a vaccine, said Dr Francisco Garcia, the county’s medical officer. It could be a construction site clinic, a POD in a hospital, or individual doctors’ offices, he said. The strategy is to have the greatest degree of flexibility to get the most people vaccinated, he said.
More vaccination sites in Pima County are expected to start setting up next week, one by one, in a phased manner, Garcia said.
Phase 1B will likely continue in Pima County until the end of March, Garcia said. The county hopes anyone who wants the vaccine will have received at least one of their doses by early summer.
“What matters is that we get an important part of our community immunized,” said Dr Theresa Cullen, county health director. “It’s up to us, as your public health department, along with the other health care facilities in the county, to make sure we get them out as quickly and safely as possible.”
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For now, Pima County will use the state’s vaccine registration system for the general public, but may also develop its own registration tools in the future, Cullen said. The county is also working to allow people to register by phone rather than online, she said.
Other counties also starting 1B
Pinal County was the first to transition to Phase 1B individuals, with registration available online.
Gila County this week started providing vaccines to people in categories 1B. People can call 928-402-8888 or email [email protected] to schedule an appointment.
Mohave County is also beginning the transition, with a vaccine immediately available to protective service workers. Vaccine suppliers will likely begin vaccinating adults 75 years of age and older at the end of next week. Priority people in phase 1B can contact providers to make appointments.
For more information on other counties, visit the county public health department website.
For statewide information, see the state vaccines webpage at azhealth.gov/covid19vaccine.
Contact the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.
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