PHOENIX ‒ The COVID-19 rollout has been widely criticized for being slow and on Monday it seemed interminably slow to those trying to sign-up online. In just seven hours, nearly 44,000 Arizonans made appointments to be vaccinated at the state’s first 24/7 COVID-19 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
The online traffic slowed the website’s responsiveness to a crawl at times. Yet, nearly 29,000 Arizonans were able to make appointments for the site’s first week of operation.
The site, launched by the Arizona Department of Health Services in partnership with the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Blue Cross® Blue Shield® of Arizona, and the Arizona Cardinals, begins offering appointments at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday for health care workers, first responders, teachers, law enforcement officers, Arizonans over age 75, and others at the top of the priority list for vaccine distribution.
Registration is available for the vaccination site at State Farm Stadium and several other sites throughout the state at https://podvaccine.azdhs.gov/. Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine. Those without computer access or needing extra help registering can call 1-844-542-8201, staffed through support from the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, the Banner Health Poison and Drug Information Center, and Crisis Response Network’s 211 Arizona program.
In addition, individuals creating an account on podvaccine.azdhs.gov/ can schedule an appointment on behalf of relatives or dependents through that account, which is recommended for those with older family members or family without access to a computer. Those scheduled for vaccination will need to show identification upon arrival to the vaccination site demonstrating they qualify for phases 1A or priority 1B.
In addition, individuals creating an account on podvaccine.azdhs.gov/ can schedule an appointment on behalf of relatives or dependents through that account, which is recommended for those with older family members or family without access to a computer.