Maricopa County Will Expand Vaccine Eligibility To Adults Over 65

PHOENIX — Maricopa County residents over the age of 65 will soon be able to receive the coronavirus vaccine, the health department announced Thursday.

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health said in a news release it will be expanding vaccine eligibility starting Monday as nearly half of the county's residents over the age of 75 have received at least one dose.

“The data shows that our decision to provide older adults a little extra time to access vaccine has proven successful and the timing is now right to invite our residents 65 and older to step up and get vaccinated,” Marcy Flanagan, director of the county health department, said in a statement.

While Arizona approved the eligibility change to adults over 65 in January for its two state-run mass vaccination sites, Maricopa County said at the time that its doses were too limited. County sites have continued to focus instead on the over 75 age group, first responders and educators. With about 44 percent of people 75 and older now having received one dose, the county feels comfortable expanding its reach to the nearly 400,000 adults ages 65 to 74.

The news release also announced the launch of a new Maricopa County vaccination data dashboard.

It shows that 12 percent of all Maricopa County residents, or 430,000, have received at least one dose of the vaccine. About half are 65 years or older . The Arizona Department of Health Services announced Wednesday it had reached the milestone of 1 million vaccines administered statewide.

The county also wants to ensure that its vaccine distribution is equitable across racial and socioeconomic lines, so it is launching neighborhood pop-up vaccination sites and assisting with allocating doses to 182 local pharmacies. The health department is also working to set up a sixth vaccination site close to transportation and with a walk-thru option for people without cars.

Maricopa County residents can check for appointment availability online or use the AZDHS 'Find Vaccine' tool. Those who need additional assistance can call (844) 542-8201.