(Photo AP)
PHOENIX – Maricopa County is moving to the next phase of COVID-19 vaccines next week, expanding access to teachers, police and the elderly.
Programming for people with Phase 1B priority on the Phoenix subway will open Monday through the county registration system, according to the Maricopa County public health website.
The priority part of 1B consists of K-12 school staff and child care workers, law enforcement and protection services staff, and people 75 years of age or older.
The rest of Phase 1B, which consists of adults living in congregated settings and certain essential workers, will be next after the prioritized groups.
Initially, the next phase of shooting will be at county distribution points that are not yet fully booked with Phase 1A people receiving the second doses of the vaccine.
The number of available appointments will be limited due to the shortage of vaccines. More spaces and locations will open when more doses are available.
Phase 1A people who have not been vaccinated will still be able to register during the next phase, but will no longer have priority status.
On Wednesday morning, Maricopa County reported that it had administered 62,068 doses to people in Phase 1A of the distribution plan.
Two Arizona counties, Gila and Pinal, are already in Phase 1B.
Yuma County has announced it will move to 1B on Monday, while Pima County said it was aiming to finish next week.
Arizona vaccine distribution began Dec. 16. As of Tuesday, the state had administered 119,653 doses, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
With millions of people prioritized for phases 1A, 1B and 1C, state officials have said they do not expect the vaccines to be available to the general public until March or April.