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Arizona Governor Doug Ducey says winter visitors need vaccinations as well in state

Vaccine
Posted at 9:27 PM, Feb 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-01 23:27:39-05

Arizona’s governor revealed over the weekend on a national platform that the state needs more vaccines for winter visitors too.

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In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Ducey spoke about vaccines, We’ve got a lot of people that come to Arizona, it’s a beautiful day here, today it’s 68 degrees and people migrate here from other cold weather states, they need vaccinations as well.”

Ducey went on to tell CNN anchor Dana Bash that they have asked the Biden administration for an additional 300,000 vaccines.

“What we need right now, Dana, are more vaccines, we’re in danger of running out of the vaccines we have,” said Ducey.

The Arizona Department of Health Services said on Monday that 671,513 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state.

On Monday, Dr. Cara Christ, the director of ADHS helped launch the new state site at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for vaccinations.

Dr. Christ was asked about winter visitors receiving the vaccine, “this time of year is a fabulous place to come the weather is great so we have a lot of winter visitors, it’s also part of our agriculture season so we have a lot of migrant farm workers and so we know our population increases during the winter, we have made that known to our federal partners that we need additional doses to be able to account for this increase in population.”

ABC15 reached out to Maricopa County about vaccines for winter visitors, and they say that those eligible do not need to show proof of residency.

In an email, a spokesperson said, “Maricopa County is not asking for residency status. It is important to vaccinate all eligible members of our community. For people who are in Maricopa County temporarily (such as winter visitors or temporary residents), you are able to get vaccinated if you meet the prioritization criteria for Phase 1B either through your employment status or as an adult age 75 or older. You will receive a vaccination record with the date of your vaccination and which vaccine you received so you can get the right vaccine at the right time for your second dose, even if you return to your primary residence between doses.”

The county went on to say:

“When you register, you will be asked a few questions to determine your eligibility, such as your job category or date of birth. Groups currently eligible for scheduling at Maricopa County operated POD sites are:

Remaining EMS and healthcare workers from Phase 1A

Adults age 75 and older

K-12 teachers and staff

Childcare providers

Law enforcement and protective services workers (includes sworn officers and government-employed security officers)

If you are not in one of these groups, we ask that you wait until it is your turn to schedule an appointment.

At your appointment, please be prepared to show 1) your appointment confirmation email, and 2) a form of ID confirming your Phase 1B employment, such as a work ID or paystub, or an ID that shows your age if you are 75+.”