PHOENIX — The first shipment of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine arrived Monday morning in Arizona.
Maricopa County public health officials welcomed 18,000 doses of the vaccine, which were then taken to county Points of Dispensing (PODs), where health care workers will be vaccinated beginning Thursday as part of distribution Phase 1A.
“It is that little light at the end of the tunnel we’ve all been waiting for,” said Maricopa County Public Health Executive Director Marcy Flanagan.
A little light on a rather dark Monday, as the Arizona Department of Public Health reported more than 11,000 new cases of COVID-19 and hospitals continued to near capacity statewide.
“We’re not out of the woods yet, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic,” said Flanagan.
HonorHealth officials received 10,000 of the county's doses to begin vaccinations Thursday morning.
“It’s a day of hope juxtaposed with the fact we have rising numbers and hospitals near capacity,” said Director of Ambulatory Quality and Improvement Lyndsey Cunningham.
HonorHealth will be vaccinating health care workers at one of the five PODs. The other is Banner Health.
“We’re looking at health care workers who are coming into frequent contact with potentially COVID positive patients,” said Cunningham.
"Our health care workers are tired. They’ve had a tough year. They have been on the front lines of this and I think getting the vaccine today represents a whole new era where we can start putting COVID behind us and protect our healthcare workers and eventually our community.”
HonorHealth has the capacity to vaccinate up to 1,000 people per day and hopes to fully vaccinate 10,000 people.
Phase 1A includes health care personnel, emergency medical systems, long-term care, assisted living, and skilled nursing facility staff and residents.
State leaders expressed their excitement for the historic day.
In a statement, Gov. Doug Ducey said, "In Arizona, our plan is to get the vaccine to every corner of our state without delay, beginning with health care workers and vulnerable populations. My sincere thanks to the trial participants, scientists, community health leaders, health care workers, frontline workers, and the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed, and added that: "We need to remain vigilant and continue to follow all recommended health and safety precautions.”
Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ also recognized the arrival of COVID-19 vaccine doses.
“We are thrilled to see the vaccine here in Arizona,” said Dr. Christ. “The Department and the Vaccine Task Force have been working for months to make sure the vaccine is efficiently distributed throughout the state once shipments came in. While vaccine distribution is underway, it’s critically important that Arizonans continue to follow health and safety precautions to fight the spread and protect one another. This is not the time to let our guard down."
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