Arizona s abrupt switch to an age-based COVID-19 vaccine rollout this week means some people 55 and older can get vaccinated, but that change is not consistent statewide.
The new model is a hybrid. While the state is now emphasizing age-based vaccination, counties have the job of prioritizing the vaccination of front-line essential workers and vulnerable communities as they see fit.
It s a simpler process, with the switch influenced by the decision that an age-based approach more quickly reaches the most people at higher risk.
An age-based approach also eliminates figuring out how people would have to document their underlying health conditions to qualify.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health in partnership with University of Arizona s Mobile Health Units delivered COVID-19 vaccines to underserved community members at the Fillmore Gardens in downtown Phoenix on Tuesday.
Residents trickled down to get vaccinated under canopies set up in the courtyard of Fillmore Gardens, which is subsidized housing run by the city for people 62 or older and people with disabilities.
Resident Santeyan Margarito, 64, said he became aware of the program after seeing a note on the Fillmore Gardens community board. He said he had trouble signing up for the vaccine before at other locations that required online applications, but had better luck applying to this program with the help of a social worker.