The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone six months and older should stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines. And the state health department is bringing back a program to get more Arizonans vaccinated.
In 2021, when COVID-19 vaccines first became widely available, the Arizona Department of Health Services launched a mobile vaccine program, but it has been on pause since 2023. Now, the department is starting up the CDC initiative again.
Jessie Barbosa, health equity program manager with the health department, said the mobile program brings free vaccines vulnerable groups who might have barriers to accessing the shots.
"Perhaps they’re homebound and need a vaccine administered in their home or they're living in a long-term care facility or skilled nursing facility or they live in a rural area, which is considered a vaccine desert," Barbosa said.
Barbosa said the program will continue at least through 2025.
Long-term care facilities or community-based organizations can request to host a pop-up vaccine event through the health department website.
-
Ever since 2020, the state has seen seasonal increases in COVID-19 throughout fall and winter. But this fall and winter, caseloads have been notably much lower than they have been in previous years. -
The FDA plans to add a “black-box warning” to COVID-19 vaccines — that’s the strongest warning the agency can issue. But Will Humble, the Arizona Public Health Association president, says the move isn’t as alarming as it sounds. -
City officials said that they will need to make up $22 million after the American Rescue Plan funds for homeless services expire. Since they are temporary, the city needs to replace the gap to maintain current service levels. -
The University of Arizona and pharmaceutical company Sunshine Biopharma are developing medical technology to minimize the severity of coronavirus infections. -
A new report from the Helios Education Foundation shows Arizona's chronic absence rates still haven't bounced back to pre-pandemic levels.
