Yuma County aligns vaccine eligibility to state plan

Yuma County on Wednesday will align its vaccine eligibility with the Arizona Department of Health Services, which is offering the vaccine to individuals as young as 16 years old.

The Yuma County Public Health Services District is now offering the Pfizer vaccines to those ages 16 and older and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to those 18 and older.

Arizona has been using a vaccine prioritization phased approach, and while the state has provided guidance, it has left it up to each county to decide when to move on to the next phase.

The county had been vaccinating individuals in the Phase 1B category, which includes persons 65 years and older, law enforcement and protective services, educators, childcare providers, adults living in congregate settings, and some essential workers, such as agriculture and grocery store workers.

On Monday, Gov. Doug Ducey’s office and ADHS announced that registration at state-operated COVID-19 vaccination sites in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties would open to all people 16 and older beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Previously, Arizona-run vaccination sites were open to individuals 55 and older.

State sites complement county vaccination programs and the growing availability of vaccine supply at pharmacies and federally qualified health centers participating in the federal vaccination programs.

Sites using the Pfizer vaccine, including those run by the state, can vaccinate those 16 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines, which are allocated to counties, are approved for those 18 and older.

The county cautions residents to make note of the different age restrictions for specific vaccines when scheduling their appointment.

There are a number of vaccine scheduling options. Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona, including pharmacies and healthcare providers, can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine.

Yuma County residents can also access the local information from the main

ADHS webpage azdhs.gov by clicking on the “find vaccine” icon and scrolling down the page until a map appears. Zoom in on Yuma County and a window with Yuma County specific provider information will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. Scroll down the list or click on the map locator pins to learn registration information and hours of operation for each Yuma County site.

YUMA STATE SITE

Appointments for the Yuma state site will open at 11 a.m. each Friday. The site will open Monday at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive.

The site, which will carry the Pfizer vaccine, will operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. It will initially offer 8,000 appointments per week and eventually expand to more than 4,000 doses per day.

Appointments for next week can be made starting at 11 a.m. Friday by visiting podvaccine.azdhs.gov. This portal can also be used by family members to make appointments for relatives.

Those without computer access or needing extra help registering can call 1-844-5428201 to be connected with someone who can assist.

Both the web portal and call center have resources available in English and Spanish.

To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, please visit azdhs.gov/COVID19Vaccines.