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Calls To Send Arizona COVID-19 Vaccine Stockpile To Sonora Grows

A growing number of Arizona officials are calling for the state’s COVID-19 vaccine stockpile to be sent to neighboring Sonora, Mexico.

Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva joined in the call to make vaccines available to Sonorans. She argues that keeping people safe in both states protects residents who live, work or have family on both sides of the border.

"The demand for the vaccine has dropped significantly, and we still have enough to take care of our community and would like to be able to share it," she said. 

She said Pima County has enough vaccines to protect the 300,000 residents who still haven’t been vaccinated and demand here has been dropping. 

But much of the vaccine has a pending expiration date. 

It’s still not been publicly determined how the U.S. could make the vaccine available to Sonoran residents either in Mexico or by skirting non-essential travel restrictions at the border to allow doses to be given in Arizona.

Fronteras Desk senior editor Michel Marizco is an award-winning investigative reporter based in Flagstaff.