PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 7, 2021) -- Less than five months after Maricopa County received its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine, more than 1.3 million Maricopa County residents have been vaccinated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. This figure represents nearly 40% of all Maricopa County residents over the age of 15. All told, Maricopa County residents have received a total of over 2 million doses.
“The speed at which Maricopa County residents are getting vaccinated shows how much can be done when partners come together,” said Marcy Flanagan, executive director of Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH).
To streamline operations and communication, on March 24, Maricopa County adopted the same prioritization as the state of Arizona. All residents age 16 and over are eligible to be vaccinated. Pfizer is the only vaccine authorized for use in individuals age 16 or 17, and individuals age 18 and older can receive any of the three authorized vaccines, per the vaccine FDA Emergency Use Authorizations.
“Vaccines are an important step towards putting this pandemic behind us,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for disease control at MCDPH. “The sooner we get enough of the community vaccinated and reach herd immunity, the sooner we can get back to seeing family and friends the way we normally would.”
Maricopa County residents are receiving an average of almost 35,000 doses of vaccine per day, up about 5,000 doses per day over the prior week. Almost forty percent of all vaccine doses given have been those that completed the vaccine series for a Maricopa County resident (i.e., the 1st dose of a 1-dose series or the 2nd dose of a 2-dose series).
Maricopa County will continue to hold smaller, community-focused events to reach underserved populations; long term care facility residents and staff; group home residents and staff; behavioral health homes; residents and staff in domestic violence shelters; persons experiencing homelessness; identified homebound individuals; and senior housing clusters. Pop-up vaccine events will also continue to serve frontline essential workers including those working in food and agriculture, grocery stores, manufacturing, public transit, government, funeral homes, restaurants and utility services.
For weekly updates on the progress of vaccination efforts in Maricopa County, please visit www.maricopa.gov/COVID19VaccineData.