In the six weeks since the first coronavirus vaccines were administered in Arizona, the state has given fewer than 10,000 shots per day and Arizona has used only about half of the vaccines it's been allocated. Gov. Doug Ducey wants the process to go faster.
In an advisory Tuesday, the governor granted the state more power to decide where vaccines are delivered.
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Most vaccines in Arizona are currently being distributed at the county level. Tuesday's advisory is Ducey's most recent move aimed at granting more power to the state health department. In a December executive order, he allowed the state to establish its own vaccine allocation model. The new advisory requires vaccinators to report plans for administering unused doses and gives the state the power to send those doses elsewhere if they can be given out faster.
"This advisory will provide transparency in the pace of vaccination administration, and allow us to direct vaccine doses to where they will be most rapidly distributed,” Ducey said in a press release.
The two state-run vaccination sites at State Farm Stadium and Phoenix Municipal Stadium already pull from Maricopa County’s vaccine supply. The health department wants to add additional state-run sites across Arizona.
→ Q&AZ: What You Need To Know About Getting The Coronavirus Vaccine In Arizona
