(Photo by AP / Terry Tang)
PHOENIX – Arizona’s top health official said Friday that people who don’t have an appointment to get the coronavirus vaccine could have ways to end the shot.
The director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, Dr. Cara Christ, said at a news conference that the clinical team at the vaccination site is tasked with making the decision to vaccinate someone in the car with a person who has an appointment.
Aspects that are made in this decision include the number of non-shows on a given day and whether the person in the vehicle is the person who cares for the individual intended for the shooting, saying that person could still put at risk other people.
People in the car could also get shot if they had an appointment but were not scheduled for that day as long as there are enough staff and the vaccine is available.
This, Christ said, allows people to go to the vaccination site only twice instead of four times.
“They’re doing these clinical trials on a case-by-case basis to make sure we get the maximum number of vaccines, that none are wasted, and that we try to be as attentive to customer service as possible,” Christ said.
Those in Phase 1B or Priority Phase 1A are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine at state facilities, including Glendale State Farm Stadium.
This includes caregivers, emergency services, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, along with education and childcare workers, occupations of protection services and adults aged 75 and over.
The state’s age limit will be reduced to 65 on Tuesday, but vaccination sites run by some counties, including Maricopa County, will remain at the current 75-year-old.
More than 232,000 people have been vaccinated statewide according to the AZDHS report on Friday, with more than 600,000 vaccines ordered.