Arizona turned down a proposal from FEMA to bring a federally run COVID-19 vaccine site, and possibly more doses, to the state, the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services said in a Friday press conference.
The proposal was offered in response to the state’s multiple requests for additional doses, but Dr. Cara Christ said the state turned FEMA down because it would’ve required significant staffing and resources.
The state was also concerned that it wouldn’t have control over the new site or that doses needed for it would come out of the state’s allocation.
"There were just a lot of things that went into that didn’t make us comfortable with accepting those sites and knowing that more vaccine is coming on the horizon we did feel comfortable at this time declining on that offer," she said.
Arizona also offered to partner with FEMA on one of the state's existing vaccination sites, but that route would have required giving up medical and managerial oversight, Christ said.
