Maricopa Province officials have said they will begin vaccinating Phase 1B from next week and begin scheduling for these preferred persons.
According to the Maricopa County Public Health website, the vaccination schedule will be open on January 11th.
Qualifying populations included in Phase 1B are:
- K-12 school staff and child care workers
- Law enforcement / protective services *
- Adults 75 years and older
Provincial health officials said health workers who are eligible for Phase 1A and who have yet to plan their first appointments can do so, but will not be given preference over others who are currently eligible.
With limited availability of vaccines, health officials have said it is their top priority to ensure that every eligible resident of Maricopa Province has access to receive their vaccinations.
Adults living in common areas and other essential workers will, according to the website, be preferred for vaccination in phase 1B to the above groups.
The Pima County Department of Health will also begin moving to Phase 1B at the end of next week, according to the Pima County Deputy Administrator and Dr. Francisco Garcia.
“It’s amazing that we have the highest vaccination rate in the state, but none of us should be happy with where we are at the moment,” he said. Theresa Cullen, director of health in Pima County, said. “It is critical that we speed up our vaccination process because we are at an accelerated rate of transmission. I’m grateful to Pima County for making this commitment. ”
Dr Cullen said Pima County would go through 1B group vaccinations by the end of March.