A general external view of State Farm Stadium Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – The home of the Arizona Cardinals will be used as a COVID-19 vaccination site that will be open 24 hours a day, Gov. Doug Ducey announced Friday.
The State Farm Stadium vaccination site in Glendale will come online next week as Maricopa County moves into the initial stage of phase 1B distribution.
“As we move into a much larger population of Arizonans prioritized for the vaccine, the state is working 24/7 with our local partners to get more doses into the arms of those who need them,” Dr. Cara Christ, Arizona Department of Health Services director, said in a press release.
“By combining state resources with the support and expertise of fantastic partners, we can get many more doses out of freezers and into the community.”
The state-run stadium site will hold a soft launch on Monday afternoon for law enforcement and other protective service workers. Appointments for eligible groups will begin Tuesday.
During a press conference Friday, Christ said the site is expected to distribute more than 6,000 doses a day.
On Monday morning, Maricopa County will start taking appointments online for priority 1B, which in addition to law enforcement includes K-12 school staff, childcare workers and adults age 75 and older.
Eventually, the county anticipates adding more options, which could include pharmacies and employer-based vaccination events.
“Our new vaccine site in Glendale will rapidly expand the number of Arizonans getting vaccinated,” Ducey said in the release. “We need to get these vaccine doses out of freezers and into the arms of Arizonans who want it, and our new site will speed up that process.”
A $1 million grant from the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation helped make the stadium site possible, the release said. The Cardinals, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Arizona State University and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs are also part of the effort.
“This was a real collaborative effort,” Ducey said. “It underscores what can be accomplished by working together to confront the most serious public health crisis of our lifetime.”
Ducey also announced on Friday that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is giving Arizona more than $65 million to fund vaccine clinics and community engagement.
Because the vaccine supply has been limited, health officials are following priority plans designed to ensure efficient and fair distribution.
Phase 1B includes two levels. Only groups on the priority level — K-12 school staff and childcare workers, law enforcement and protective services personnel, and adults age 75 and older — will become eligible to register Monday.
People in phase 1A — which started Dec. 16 — will still be allowed to make appointments during ensuing phases but will no longer have priority over other eligible populations.
There is no timetable for when the rest of phase 1B — adults living in congregate settings and workers classified as essential — or subsequent phases will become eligible for vaccinations.
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State Farm Stadium to be used as 24-hour COVID-19 vaccination site - KTAR.com
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