PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said at a news conference Wednesday that the general public may have the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in early April or May.
Dr. Christ appeared at a second dose vaccination event for Valley religious leaders at First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix. The group of religious leaders received their first vaccine earlier this month at an event to raise awareness about the importance of the vaccine.
Dr. Christ said that as supply allows, they will continue to work through priority groups before the general population has a chance to receive the vaccine.
“The vaccine supply is supposed to increase between March and April,” said Dr. Christ. “So we should start to see significant increases in the vaccine. Hopefully, in April or May we could attract the general population.”
Dr. Christ noted that if the Johnson & Johnson vaccine clears all regulatory hurdles, the first doses could soon arrive in Arizona.
“If he goes through the whole process in the next few days … we anticipate having him in Arizona next week, as fast as that,” he said. “We know that initially there will not be many Johnson & Johnson vaccines, it will take a while to increase production, but we are looking for the best places to get them.”
See Dr. Cara Christ’s update on the latest COVID vaccination efforts on the player below:
Dr. Christ says that the general public could have the opportunity to receive the Covid vaccine in April / May.
The recently announced state-run site in Chandler-Gilbert CC will start with 2k appointments per day. Depending on the offer, it could increase significantly at the end of March / April@ abc15 pic.twitter.com/YxYAsgnD2H
– Mike Pelton (@ MikePeltonABC15) February 24, 2021