PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Department of Public Health says it has received its first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday morning.
According to county officials, four boxes with approximately 18,000 total doses arrived at a public health facility Tuesday morning.
The FDA officially approved the Moderna vaccine on Friday, to supplement the existing Pfizer vaccine that was first approved.
To date, Maricopa County says it has given 8,175 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to members of the Group 1A category of residents.
According to the county, the first doses of the Moderna vaccine will be reserved for long-term care facilities that are not part of the CDC’s Pharmacy Partnership, which provides ways for those facilities to get vaccines to residents and staff.
Arizona’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak passed the 8,000 mark on Tuesday as the state reported an additional 153 known deaths, the second-highest daily increase during the pandemic. The state has seen 8,125 total deaths.
