AHWATUKEE, AZ — Time to go into the ABC15 mailbag for a question that comes from Eva in Ahwatukee.
She writes, "I am 74, live in Ahwatukee, and only want the J&J vaccine. It appears AZ has been giving the first 2 (two dose) vaccines to older people and are now giving J&J to younger people (workers, etc). I would like to know when I will likely be able to get the J&J relatively nearby."
Our ABC15 Health Insider team reached out to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and they told us to check their interactive Vaccine Tracker.
Once you're on the Vaccine Tracker, you'll need to put in some basic information like your ZIP Code and which vaccine you're looking for.
Check often -- the information may change frequently due to when new shipments arrive.
When we checked for Eva, the tracker showed there were Johnson and Johnson vaccines appointments available, mostly at Fry's locations across the Valley.
Once you find the location you'd like to go to, it directs you to that company's website. On the Fry's website, it says, "Vaccinations may consist of one dose or two doses" and there isn't an option yet to select which brand you'd like, even though the tracker on the county's site lists there being Johnson and Johnson vaccine available.
We reached out to Fry's about this and they told us right now, everything is very fluid and would let us know as soon as there is an update.
Right now, there is no option to select which brand of the vaccine you'd like on the Fry's website, meaning you could still get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, but it's also possible that you'd be given a different brand and wouldn't find out until you got to your appointment. Health experts say go ahead and book the appointment because right now, they're recommending people get whichever one they can get the earliest.
We will continue to stay in touch with Fry's and let you know if there are any updates to the website.
The mission of ABC15's Health Insider series is to dive deeper into the things impacting your health and the health of those around you. We're going in-depth with expert advice from people who know it, see it every day in their work and study it. Have a story idea? Contact the team at HealthInsider@abc15.com.