PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Health Services says when the COVID-19 vaccine is available for Arizona’s children, it will have a plan in place to administer the shots.
The CDC wants to start vaccinating children between 5 and 11 years old within weeks.
ADHS says it has been working on its plan for weeks. Overseeing the hiring of pediatric vaccinators, working with schools and healthcare providers to set up vaccine locations, and ensuring underserved communities have access to the vaccine once it becomes available.
“We want to see more people get the right information and make the best decisions,” Governor Doug Ducey said Tuesday.
In the beginning, the vaccine doses will be allocated to states based on population. Supplies are expected to be limited at first.
ADHS says it’s likely local jurisdictions will be involved while receiving doses from the state and then overseeing their distributions.
Governor Ducey says the biggest challenge won’t be supply but convincing parents their children need to be vaccinated.
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"I would say the distribution of the vaccine has not been the issue. It's been the demand for the vaccine. We know how to distribute vaccine as we have more people available who desire it. We will have the vaccine available," Ducey said.
So far there is no word on whether the federal government will allocate vaccine doses to pharmacies as it did during the initial rollout.
ADHS says the final rollout of its plan will depend on how many doses Arizona receives from the CDC.
