PHOENIX — State-run coronavirus vaccination sites in the Phoenix area, Tucson, Yuma, and Flagstaff are ready to begin administering shots to children 12 to 15 years old on Thursday, state health officials say.
There are nearly 400,000 children between that age range in our state.
FULL SECTION: VACCINE IN ARIZONA
Parents and guardians will be able to register youth for vaccines starting at 8 a.m. on May 13, by visiting podvaccine.azdhs.gov or by or calling 844-542-8201 (in English or Spanish). Appointments aren’t required for state-run sites, but they can make the on-site process easier.
"A parent or guardian must accompany the child and sign a consent form in person and includes an attestation that the child is at least 12 years old. No identification is required for the child," ADHS says.
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ADHS also says it is coordinating with rural counties so 12- to 15-year-olds in other areas can get vaccinated with proper vaccine brands.
The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization to allow the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in teens as young as 12.
The two-dose vaccine had been authorized for those as young as 16. After clinical trials and research in those ages 12 to 15, the pharmaceutical company asked the FDA to expand their emergency use authorization to allow the vaccine to be used in younger teens.
On Monday morning the agency granted the request.
To date, 5,383,508 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to more than 3 million individuals in our state, with 2.5 million Arizonans now fully vaccinated.
POSSIBLE IMPACT ON HERD IMMUNITY
Could Arizona reach herd immunity against COVID-19 by August 23? It’s possible, if vaccination numbers stay consistent week to week.
As of right now, Arizona is doing around 85,000 vaccines a week. If the state stays at that number each week, 75% of Arizonans would have their first dose of a vaccine shot by August 23.
Recent vaccination data shows that Arizona is no longer increasing vaccinations daily, but rather stalling.
The August date could change though, due to a number of factors: if the vaccines pass final approval from the CDC for children ages 12 to 15, then more people will become eligible, and if the FDA converts the vaccines from an emergency use authorization to a full authorization that could have a big impact on the number of people who are willing to go and get the vaccine.
