Arizona expands eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine to all adults

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — All Arizonans ages 16 and older will be able to register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this week.

Gov. Doug Ducey's office made the announcement Monday morning, saying all adults can register for a vaccination appointment at state-run sites starting March 24 at 8 a.m. That includes the site at the University of Arizona, plus several larger sites in the Phoenix area.

“Given a thorough review of vaccination data, anticipated vaccine supply, and current demand among prioritized groups, now is the time to take this critical next step," Ducey said in a statement.

Dr. Cara Christ, Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, says that they have had open appointments.

"As of Monday morning there were still 58,000 appointments available from Friday's release," Christ said in a news conference on Monday. "Arizona has done a great job at using all of the vaccine available to us and this change helps us keep that momentum."

Arizonans can register for a vaccine at one of the state-run sites by visiting podvaccine.azdhs.gov. The state opens new appointments for the following week at each of its state-run sites on Fridays at 11 a.m.

Those sites are administering the Pfizer vaccine, which is safe for those 16 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which are allocated to counties, are eligible for those 18 and older. So far, Pima County is still limiting eligibility at its state-run sites to those age 55 and older, plus certain essential workers and first responders.

So far, Arizona has administered more than 2.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and has vaccinated more than 1.1 million people across the state.

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