Maricopa County Rolls Out Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution Plan

PHOENIX — Maricopa County health officials have announced the order in which people in the county will be able to get the coronavirus vaccine.

In the plan announced Monday, the Maricopa County Health Department has prioritized health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

Maricopa County expects to get its first batch of vaccines on Dec. 15 and plans to begin vaccinating health care workers at select sites across the county by Dec. 17. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be reviewed for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration within the week.

Marcy Flanagan, the county's public health director, said in a meeting with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors that distribution priorities were set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state, and then further narrowed at the local level.

But Flanagan also urged county residents to continue to take the pandemic seriously as vaccines will be doled out in small doses. It will likely take months before the general population will be inoculated.

“Because a vaccine is here, unfortunately doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods, doesn’t mean the pandemic is over," Flanagan told the board. "It just means that there’s just that pinhole of light now we can see at the end of the tunnel, knowing a vaccine is here.”

The plan is broken out into several phases by population and priority. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which have applied for emergency use authorization, will require two doses either 21 or 28 days apart in order for someone to be fully vaccinated.

Phase 1A: This phase will vaccinate health care workers, emergency medical services workers, and long-term care, assisted living and skilled nursing facility staff and residents. That accounts for about 123,000 to 300,000 people in Maricopa County. This will take place in December and early 2021.

“By protecting health care workers, from providers to long-term care staff to cleaning crews, we are protecting those who have the highest exposure and whose health will help preserve our health care system," Flanagan said Monday.

She said 60,000 doses may arrive in Arizona in the next couple of weeks, with at least 40,000 going to Maricopa County. Additional orders are expected by the end of December. Banner Health and Honor Health will begin vaccinating those included in this first phase.

“Sites have been operationalized and setting up for several weeks now,” Flanagan said. “These have been plans in the works for many months. Even all of the sites that won’t be ready to go next week have already started walking through the processes to make sure they’re as smooth as possible.”

Phase 1B: Health care workers not included in 1A, adults in congregate settings, law enforcement, teachers and child care workers, essential workers will be included in this phase, starting in early 2021.

Phase 1C: This portion of the first phase will focus on adults over the age of 65 and any adults with high-risk medical conditions, which will likely end in spring 2021.

In addition to the Banner Health and Honor Health sites, Abrazo Health, Banner Del Webb, and Dignity Health will also be administering vaccines at sites around the Valley.

Phase 2: The second phase will involve anyone remaining from the first phase, additional high-risk populations and the general population. This is when most people will be eligible to receive the vaccine. This phase will likely begin in April or May, according to Flanagan.

Local providers, pharmacies, health care systems and federally qualified health centers will start receiving, storing and administering vaccines as they typically do for flu shots. The large distribution sites from the first phase will be rolled back.

"That's when we can start having discussions or knowing that we're reaching that herd immunity, where it's largely available in our community and enough individuals are being able to get vaccinated so that we can protect our entire community," Flanagan said.

Phase 3: This phase will focus on anyone remaining from the first two phases, as well as the rest of the general population and will begin in the summer.

Gov. Doug Ducey announced at his Wednesday news conference that the vaccine will be free to all Arizonans who wish to receive it. Flanagan said the county health department will be asking all residents to get vaccinated but it will not be made mandatory.

The vaccine will produce some side effects, as is the case with most vaccines that help a body develop antibodies.

Supervisor Steve Gallardo said that education and outreach will be necessary to ensure the plan is successful. He specifically called out the town of Guadalupe and the city of Tolleson as examples where "cultural differences" and language barriers might make the vaccine a tougher sell.

“How do we move forward with the community education? In the past, my office would be out in the community setting up tables, going to community events, really grassroots stuff," he said. "I can’t do that now under our current scenario with the COVID pandemic still running around. So we got to think, OK, how do we do this differently?”

Flanagan also presented evidence in support of masks and the effectiveness of canceling small gatherings and reducing dining capacity in restaurants.

“The vaccine is a sign of hope that we have been looking forward to," Flanagan said. "But it will be many months before most people will have the chance to get the vaccine.”