2nd State Site Opening Up New Coronavirus Vaccine Appointments

PHOENIX — Arizona health officials are continuing to try to ramp up the state's coronavirus vaccinations.

The Arizona Department of Health Services announced that 21,000 additional appointments opened up at its second mass vaccination site at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

The state was able to open new appointments after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's executive order went into effect last week requiring vaccine providers that have received more than 1,000 doses and had over 40 percent of those doses remaining unused to submit a plan to ADHS. Plans submitted by counties and health care providers identified available doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

“Arizona acted quickly to ensure these vaccine doses will go to Arizonans with urgency, rather than sitting in a freezer,” Ducey said in a statement. “With State Farm Stadium and our new Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Arizona has dramatically increased the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered each day. These vaccination sites have become a national model for other states and we will continue to look for ways to ensure Arizona’s vaccine doses are being used.”

The appointments will opened at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning on the state's new and improved website, which has been retooled for an easier user experience. One of the new features will show the next available appointment rather than requiring a user to search by day for appointments.

Appointments were available from Friday, Feb. 5 through Thursday, Feb. 18, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. All 21,000 new appointments filled up within 39 minutes, according to ADHS. Both state sites are fully booked through February.

More than 702,664 doses of the vaccine have been administered to 579,225 Arizonans to date, including 109,617 who have received both doses, according to the health department. Arizona currently boasts the highest coronavirus infection rate in the U.S., even as hospitalizations and ICU stays are decreasing.

The state is currently vaccinating Arizonans in prioritized Phase 1b of the plan: Arizonans over the age of 65, educators and first responders. Most counties, including Maricopa and Pima, are still focusing on the 75 and older population. The health department said the plan is currently limited by its dose availability and has asked the federal government for more.

“We know the vaccine is in high demand, and we expect the appointments to fill quickly,” ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ said. “Building off of the success of the State Farm Stadium site, we are able to replicate these sites quickly to add capacity when we get vaccine. Our only limiting factor is the amount of vaccine we are receiving from our federal partners.”