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Stephanie Innes
| Arizona Republic
Maricopa County will open limited registration for the COVID-19 vaccine to members of the second priority group from Monday.
Priorities in Phase 1B can start registering online for appointments on Monday. Supplements will only be restricted as Phase 1A for health workers continues.
“We know that everyone is ready to go to the next step, and so are we,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director of disease control at the Department of Public Health in Maricopa, said. “We try to complete all these details as quickly as possible to ensure a smooth experience for all who can get the vaccine.”
Information on where vaccinations will take place and how to enter will be posted on maricopa.gov/5651/Phase-1B from Monday. There is no registration for 1B individuals available before that time. The Department of Public Health can be reached at 602-506-6767.
Those who can enroll first are K-12 school staff and child care workers; law enforcement officers, protective service workers and government-appointed security officers; and adults 75 and older.
Education and law enforcers should contact their employers before reporting through the province as they have other plans for the distribution of vaccines.
Other Phase 1B groups, including adults living in community facilities and other essential workers, will be prioritized after the initial groups.
Appointments will first be available at the province’s Point of Dispensing (POD) sites, which have been used for Phase 1A vaccinations for health care workers and first responders at risk. Phase 1B individuals can sign up for open slots at the POD sites that have not yet been booked for second doses for Phase 1A individuals. Phase 1A people can still sign up for their first shots with preferred 1B individuals.
Sunenshine said rather than complete Phase 1A before moving on to 1B, the country is making a “slow transition” to make sure all available appointments are used. She said most of the appointments on Monday are already being filled by health workers, but individuals from 1B will be able to take extra seats.
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‘What we are trying to do is open up to the priority groups in 1B as soon as possible, because we know people are eager to be vaccinated, knowing that we are still vaccinating health workers, but do not want to waste one. opportunity, ”she said.
As the province receives more doses and increases its programs, vaccines are likely to be allocated to sites outside the POD sites for these priority groups. This could include vaccinations at pharmacies and federally qualified health centers for 75 and older and vaccination clinics at workplaces for essential workers. There will also be specialized clinics or mini-PODs for school staff and child care workers.
“We’ve been saying all along that PODs are just one vaccine spread,” Sunenshine said. “The more vaccine doses we get, the more places we can allocate vaccine, and we can make it available to the public.”
Only those who are in phase 1A and preference 1B with appointments will be able to get the vaccine. Walk-in was not allowed.
Individuals will be required to indicate their appointment confirmation along with the confirmation that they are in Phase 1B, such as an ID showing their age, or a job badge or a salary proving their employment.
The province will update maricopa.gov/covid19vaccine as more groups are able to be vaccinated and as more sites open, with the ultimate goal of vaccinating as many residents of the country as are willing.
Phase 1B is followed by 1C, which includes adults 65 years of age and older and adults with high-risk medical conditions.
Phase 2 (spring and summer) are residual Phase 1 individuals, additional high-risk or critical populations, and the general population.
Phase 3 (summer and beyond) are remaining Phase 1 and 2 individuals and the general population.
Pima County will soon begin the next phase
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Pima County plans to pack Phase 1A so it can move into 1B as early as next week. Provincial health officials say that 1B is a large group that needs a lot of effort and logistics.
The province hopes that a large vaccine can get ‘multiple access points’ to get a vaccine, said dr. Francisco Garcia, the country’s medical chief, said. It could be a workplace clinic, a POD in a hospital or individual doctor’s offices, he said. The strategy is to have the greatest degree of flexibility to get most people vaccinated, he said.
Additional vaccine sites in Pima County are expected to start rising one by one in a phased manner next week, Garcia said.
Phase 1B is likely to continue in Pima County until the end of March, Garcia said. The province hopes that everyone who wants the vaccine will receive at least one dose by early summer.
“What is important is that we get a significant part of our community vaccinated,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, the country’s health director, said. “It depends on us as your public health department, along with the other health care facilities in the country, to ensure that we can get those out as quickly and safely as possible.”
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For the time being, Pima County will use the state’s vaccination registration system for the general public, but may also develop its own registration tools in the future, Cullen said. The province is also working to make people available to register telephonically rather than online, she said.
Other provinces also start with 1B
Pinal County was the first to switch to Phase 1B individuals, with online registration available.
Gila County began providing vaccines to people in the 1B categories this week. People can call 928-402-8888 or send [email protected] to make an appointment.
Mohave County is also beginning the transition, with the vaccine immediately available to protective service workers. Vaccination providers are likely to start vaccinating adults aged 75 and older next week. Priority Phase 1B individuals can contact providers to schedule appointments.
Visit the Department of Health website for more information on other provinces.
For nationwide information, see the state’s vaccine website at azhealth.gov/covid19vaccine.
Contact the reporter at [email protected] or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.
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