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April 6th Updates
April 7th, 2021 – 4:30 PM
It is National Public Health week and a heartfelt thanks to each and every public health employee
for their unwavering response to all public health concerns even though the public's eye has
been on COVID.
For the COVID vaccine updates, Pinal County community vaccinators have vaccinated 65.4% of those
65 years of age and older. We are making steady progress as we continue to vaccinate persons 18
years of age and older. Although Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine has been in limited supply,
the Pinal County COVID vaccine locations page does identify which locations have Moderna and
Janssen. We are not made aware of which vaccines the pharmacies receive.
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April 5th Updates
April 5th, 2021 – 10:00 AM
On Friday, the CDC issued new guidelines for travel within the U.S.
- Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19.
- People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States:
- Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it
- Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to self-quarantine
- For international travel, the regulations of the country to which you are traveling still apply.
See entire document here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html
As of this morning, 157,111 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in Pinal County. Over the weekend, there were 42 new cases of COVID 19 reported with 0 deaths.
We are headed in the right direction. Happy Spring everyone!
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April 2nd Updates
April 2nd, 2021 – 12:00 PM
As of today, Pinal County has administered 148,978
doses of COVID vaccine. 94,362 people have received at least one dose. Research is coming
out regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine and appears promising.
For an interesting website summarizing some of the latest research click here.
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March 31st Updates
March 31st, 2021 – 5:15 PM
Media is reporting that "an ingredient mix-up at a
Baltimore manufacturing plant ruined 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19
vaccine
which could delay future shipments of this vaccine in the United States."
According to Johnson & Johnson, there are no problems with the doses of Johnson & Johnson
that
have already been delivered and administered.
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March 31st Updates
March 31st, 2021 – 4:40 PM
The Pinal County Public Health Department has a
limited number of COVID Vaccine appointments available on Monday (4/5/21) and Tuesday
(4/6/21) at the Coolidge Clinic location. This is for the Janssen Vaccine which is available
for persons ages 18 and older. Please call the Central Appointment Desk at 1-866-960-0633
during business hours for an appointment. No walk-ins will be accepted. Thank you.
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March 31st Updates
March 31st, 2021 – 2:20 PM
ADHS has published their new K-12 School guidance to be consistent with
the
CDC COVID recommendations for schools.
In addition, ADHS has posted guidelines for improving safety at prom.
Regarding COVID vaccine updates, please see our pinal covid vaccine
locations page for state sites, pharmacy sites and county partner sites. Vaccines are
received weekly.
A friendly reminder: please do not schedule and come for a COVID vaccine if you have had a
different type of immunization (e.g. flu, shingles, other) 14 days prior. This is because
research has not shown what type of interaction the COVID vaccine may have with a different
type of vaccination. Also, if you develop any side effects, it will be unknown which vaccine
caused the side effects. Schedule on day 15 or later from when you received the other type
of immunization.
Pinal County is vaccinating all persons ages 18 and older who would like to receive COVID-19
vaccinations. County sites vaccinate those who live or work in Pinal County.
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Round Up For This Week
March 26th, 2021 – 4:15 PM
As of today, Pinal County community vaccine teams have administered 132,239 doses of COVID
vaccines. A friendly reminder that the State run COVID vaccine sites and some federal
pharmacy
programs are administering Pfizer COVID vaccine which is for persons ages
16
and older. Pinal County sites are administering either Moderna or Johnson & Johnson
(Janssen) for ages 18 and older. If you are between the ages of 16 and 18,
please
be sure you are scheduled at a location that offers the Pfizer vaccine as you are not
eligible
for Moderna or Janssen.
The current emergency use authorization for each vaccine type was based upon ages of study
participants in clinical trials. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson all have clinical
trials underway involving younger children, however that data has not yet been provided for
emergency use authorization review.
As we navigate through this pandemic, a friendly reminder to keep up preventive care such as
your annual check up, eye and dental exams, mammograms or colorectal cancer screenings you
may have missed this past year. Take care of each other and have an enjoyable weekend.
With Gratitude for Your efforts,
Tascha Spears, Ph.D., MSc., RN
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March 25th Updates
March 25th, 2021 – 1:00 PM
In response to the extreme stress experienced by
families who have had a COVID related death in their families, FEMA is starting the COVID
funeral assistance program in April. Public Health expresses our sincere condolences to all
who
experienced loss of loved ones during this pandemic. Please see specific information at the following link.
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March 24th Updates
March 24th, 2021 – 1:00 PM
Yesterday, the CDC issued updated guidelines for
those
who have been fully vaccinated advising that fully vaccinated people may want to "start
doing
some of the things they stopped doing because of the pandemic." Click herefor a definition of fully
vaccinated and the full article
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March 22nd Updates
March 22nd, 2021 – 3:00 PM
The CDC published an article on talking with
family and friends regarding vaccinations. Pinal County Public Health believes in informed
consent and the ability of each person to come to their own decision about COVID
vaccination. We recognize there are many questions out there about the COVID vaccines and
have included basic information about Moderna and Janssen COVID vaccines on our webpage.
(These are the two types of vaccines administered in Pinal County).
The CDC article notes that "everyone who chooses
to get vaccinated does it for their own reason." Here are some ways to talk with family and
friends without inserting personal agendas into the conversations.
We hope you find the article helpful.
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March 22nd Updates
March 22nd, 2021 – 1:00 PM
Beginning Wednesday, 3/24/21, the state run
vaccination sites will open up to all persons ages 16 and older. Sixteen year olds are
eligible for the Pfizer vaccine which is offered at state sites. There are currently over
50,000 appointments available at state run sites.
Pinal County vaccination sites are currently open
to all persons ages 18 and older. The lower age limit of 18 years differs from the state
sites because county sites administer Moderna and Janssen vaccines which require one to be
18 or older.
Our diagnostic positivity rate which tells us
about active COVID illness in the community. It has decreased from 14% last week to 11%
today. We are definitely moving in the right direction.
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Round Up For This Week
March 19th, 2021 – 3:30 PM
Pinal County community partner vaccine teams have
opened up Pinal County COVID vaccine locations to persons 18 and older who live or work in
Pinal County. State and federal pharmacy sites may have different early vaccination groups
identified. Appointments are still required for all sites. When coming to an appointment at
a county site, please bring a photo ID such as your drivers license or work badge. As of
this morning, many sites were once again fully booked, however, vaccine shipments arrive
weekly and there will be more appointments in the coming weeks.
In other COVID
news, the CDC revised their physical distancing recommendations
to be "at least 3 feet
between students in classrooms" along with guidance on when greater distances are
recommended.
I saw a phrase the other day - "Be realistic but optimistic." Sounds like a good way
to move forward this Spring.
With gratitude for your efforts,
Tascha Spears, Ph.D., M.Sc., RN
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March 18th Updates
March 18th, 2021 – 5:00 PM
Pinal County COVID Vaccine community providers are
opening up COVID vaccinations for those 18 years of age and older who live or work in Pinal
County. This is at the County vaccine locations. Please note that state and federal pharmacy
locations have different priority groups.
The Pinal County COVID vaccine webpage identifies
which vaccine is offered - Moderna or Janssen. There are currently appointments available on
the Pinal County COVID Vaccine locations page.
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March 15th Updates
March 15th, 2021 – 12:45 PM
There are some limited appointments for the
Johnson &
Johnson (Janssen) covid vaccine at the county vaccination Florence library location for
tomorrow
(Tuesday 03/16/21) and Wednesday 3/17/21.
(Click Here To Register)or call 1-866-960-0633 to schedule
if you don't have internet access.
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Round Up For This Week
March 12th, 2021 – 5:00 PM
Pinal County Public Health would like to thank all
of
our community vaccine partners for their continued dedication and commitment to our
collective
vaccination efforts in the county. As of 3/12/21 a total of 101,450 doses of COVID vaccines
have
been administered in Pinal County. While this includes both first and second doses, it is a
milestone on the path towards achieving herd immunity and gives us all hope of enjoyable
times
to come.
We have been told that Johnson and Johnson will be limited in supply
until the end of
March. However, we are receiving good supplies of Moderna at all vaccine locations. You will
notice over the weeks that some providers are opting out of administering vaccines while new
locations will be added.
We recognize that appointments are still limited and are
working hard
to accommodate you as quickly as possible. We have continued to request more pharmacy
vaccination locations in Pinal and ADHS has forwarded our requests to the pharmacy corporate
offices. In the meantime, a friendly reminder to focus on staying healthy with good
nutrition
and exercise. The weather is beautiful for enjoying some fresh air outdoors where it is also
easier to avoid crowds. Take good care of each other.
With gratitude for your efforts,
Tascha Spears, Ph.D., M.Sc., RN
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March 11th Updates
March 11th, 2021 – 3:00 PM
We continue to receive Moderna at all of our Pinal
County covid vaccine locations. For those coming for their scheduled second dose of Moderna,
please know that you will be required to fill out a consent form again. This includes the
section on screening and you will be asked if you had any side effects to the first dose.
Other than our initial shipment this past week, we
have been notified that additional doses of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine will be
"little
to none" until approximately the last week of March.
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March 10th Updates
March 10th, 2021 – 2:00 PM
The Pinal County Public Health locations are fully
booked this week administering second doses of Moderna. Therefore, first dose appointments
are
not being scheduled until next week. For those receiving second doses, please remember to
bring
your CDC vaccination card with you (that you were provided when you received your first
dose).
There may still be other vaccination appointments
available at other provider locations. Please note that Sun Life is still accepting
appointments. We will also be adding more vaccine location sites next week.
Thank you for your
patience.
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March 10th Updates
March 10th, 2021 – 10:40 AM
A friendly reminder - another state run
vaccination
site is available. This one is a bit closer, located at the Chandler/Gilbert community
college.
This vaccine location is open to anyone in Arizona. (See registration links)
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March 8th Updates
March 8th, 2021 – 12:30 PM
The CDC has issued new guidelines on "how fully
vaccinated people can visit safely with others." See the following link: (Click Here)
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March 5th Updates
March 5th, 2021 – 10:45 AM
The COVID (J & J) Janssen Vaccine is in limited
supply and Pinal County was only allocated 3,500 doses. The current shipment of Janssen
vaccine will be used for those who are essential workers with mandatory travel and those who
are medically fragile. We do not know how much more Janssen Pinal will receive nor when. The
County has also received a shipment of Moderna vaccine and all community partners will
continue to vaccinate first and second doses of Moderna. Thank you for your patience.
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March 4th Updates
March 4th, 2021 – 2:30 PM
Pinal County vaccine teams are including the state
recommended early vaccination group of 55 plus in the 1B category. In addition, due to data
in
reference to comorbidities and COVID, Pinal County is also including high risk medical
conditions in the 1B early vaccination group.
Those with high risk medical conditions were
identified
early on by the CDC in vaccine priority groups and we understand you are waiting and
wondering
when you will be considered for vaccinations. However, given that appointments are limited,
you
may still need to wait to get an appointment.
If you have a healthcare provider who is
vaccinating
and is familiar with your medical condition please consider getting your COVID vaccination
there. For those with high risk medical conditions getting vaccinated elsewhere, you will be
asked to attest to the condition.
If you have questions about which high risk medical conditions have been identified by the
CDC,
please see the link- (Click Here)
Please understand that appointments for next week
are
fully booked at most locations. We are aware that phone lines and registration links at
times
get overwhelmed and become inactive. We ask for your patience when you are calling or
attempting
to register. Pinal County vaccination teams are trying their best to schedule and administer
your COVID vaccination as quickly as possible.
You must live or work in Pinal to be vaccinated at a Pinal County vaccination location.
Thank you for your patience.
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March 3rd Updates
March 3rd, 2021 – 12:30 PM
A huge increase in call volume occurred yesterday
in
light of the ADHS press release on state sites expanding to vaccinate persons 55 and up. A
large
number of calls were also inquiring about the (Johnson & Johnson) Janssen COVID vaccine.
Pinal County vaccine teams are still vaccinating
those
65 and older as well as essential worker groups at our county vaccination
locations.
We have been notified Pinal has been allocated a
small
amount (3,500 doses) of Janssen vaccine which will arrive sometime next week. We will let
you
know as we receive more information on which locations will receive the Janssen COVID
vaccine,
along with which groups are recommended for priority receipt of the Janssen COVID vaccine
The
county continues to receive Moderna vaccine and appointments are available when shipments
are
received. We have not yet been advised of the amount of Moderna allocated to Pinal for next
week.
Thank you for your patience.
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March 2nd Updates
March 2nd, 2021 – 8:30 AM
Good Morning. We do not have any additional
information on when the Janssen vaccine will arrive in Arizona nor how much. We also have
not been advised on how much Pinal will receive. With regard to the ADHS announcement that
state pods will vaccinate those 55 and up, Pinal County COVID vaccine appointments at all
county locations are fully booked quickly with the current 1B-1 group. Currently phone lines
are still flooded with those in the current 1B-1 group requesting assistance in getting
appointments. Pinal Public Health vaccine teams and our community partners who are
vaccinating are meeting later this week to discuss when to move forward with different ages
requesting vaccinations. Thank you.
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March 1st Updates
March 01, 2021 – 3:00 PM
There are still multiple COVID Vaccine
appointments available at the Florence library site for today through Thursday for the
Moderna vaccine. If you have internet access, please schedule online through the
registration link as the call Center at 866-960-0633 is flooded with calls and at times you
will get an out of service message. Please know that there is no information on how many
doses nor when the Janssen COVID vaccine will arrive in Pinal County. We have been informed
that initial supplies of Janssen vaccine are extremely limited. Thank you.
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February 26 Updates
February 26, 2021 – 5:00 PM
The Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine produced by
their vaccine division, Janssen Pharmaceuticals received Emergency Use Authorization from
the FDA 2/26/21. The Janssen COVID vaccine requires one shot and is stable at refrigerated
temperatures when shipped or stored. The Janssen vaccine is an adenovirus-based vaccine
versus an mRNA vaccine. More information on the differences will be forthcoming. The CDC
advises that initial shipments of Janssen COVID vaccine will be limited. As more information
becomes available on the availability of Janssen COVID vaccine in Arizona, we will let you
know.
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February 26 Updates
February 26, 2021 – 4:15 PM
Community partner and public health vaccine teams
are
continuing to vaccinate with shipments received this week. A new site is available on the
ADHS
dashboard that indicates how many people have been administered per zip code (Click Here).It is on the main
ADHS dashboard in a circular icon towards the bottom of the page.
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February 25 Updates
February 25, 2021 – 2:30 PM
Pinal County vaccine teams listed on the Pinal
County Public Health websites did receive Moderna COVID vaccine shipments that had been
delayed in storms. Given limited supply, most appointments are already booked, however,
please check the Pinal COVID vaccine location website for any locations that are not fully
booked.
It is (Johnson & Johnson) Janssen COVID vaccine
Emergency Use Authorization will be determined by the FDA within 24-48 hours. If Janssen
COVID Vaccine is approved for EUA use, it is currently unknown how many doses Arizona will
receive, however we have been advised that initial supplies will be limited.
We are getting a number of people coming for the
COVID vaccine who have had another type of vaccine such as flu, shingles, pneumonia or
others in the 14 days prior to coming for their COVID vaccine. Please do not schedule an
appointment unless a minimum of 14 days has passed since you received any other type of
immunization. Thank you.
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February 24 Updates
February 24, 2021 – 10:30 AM
Please understand that the Moderna vaccine
allocated to the Florence site is a county allocation. Therefore you MUST live or work in
Pinal County to schedule an appointment at the Florence Library location. Unfortunately, if
you schedule an appointment and show up and do not work or live in Pinal, we will not be
able to vaccinate you. You must have an appointment. Also, only those 18 years and older are
able to receive Moderna Vaccine and only those in the 1B1 vaccination group. Thank you
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Round Up For This Week
February 19, 2021 – 7:00 PM
It’s been a frustrating week for everyone at the
public health department as well as those who live or work in Pinal County trying to
schedule a
COVID vaccine appointment. Due to severe winter storms at shipping transportation hubs no
vaccines arrived in Pinal this past week. Reportedly, Moderna has recalled vaccine shipments
where there may have been temperature excursions due to being stuck in transit. Vaccine
packaging has data loggers that track temperature so all vaccines that arrive in Pinal are
examined for maintenance of adequate temperatures while in transit
A very small number of vaccine doses were still
here
for appointments on Monday so if you did not receive a cancelation from the agency where you
scheduled your appointment, please keep your appointment on Monday. ADHS has advised the
large
state vaccination sites at the stadiums in Maricopa County are still open.
There has been no tracking information provided to
allow for additional planning. Until COVID vaccines are here in our County, no additional
vaccine appointments are being scheduled in Pinal. Updates will be provided Monday morning.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
With Gratitude for Your Efforts
Tascha Spears, Ph.D., M.Sc., RN
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Round Up for This Week
February 12, 2021 - 5:00 PM
This past Monday, Pinal County Public Health and
community partner
vaccination teams added persons 65 and older to the 1B-1 early vaccination group. This has
increased those
eligible for vaccination from approximately 75,000 to around 130,000 individuals. To date,
we have received
enough vaccines for, and have administered, close to 46,000.
We were able to open a new County vaccine location
at Florence Library
with over 600 individuals vaccinated daily there on Wednesday and Thursday. However, the
vaccine supply did run
out at that location on Friday. We were grateful to have the assistance of 10 federal
vaccinators from FEMA/NDMS
embedded with our Pinal vaccination teams this past week, and they will be deployed to other
places in the
United States next week.
Our next shipment, which may arrive in the middle
of next week, is
5,500 first doses and 4,500 second doses for those who already received Dose #1.
With the large number of people trying to schedule
appointments, all
registration links throughout the county are overtaxed. Likewise, our Public Health phone
lines are experiencing
very high call volume - so we thank you for your patience if you need assistance in booking
an appointment.
The pharmacies listed on the Pinal Covid Vaccine
location webpage are
now receiving federal allocations of vaccine shipped directly to them, these were chosen by
their corporate
offices.
The pharmacies listed on the Pinal Covid Vaccine
location webpage are
now receiving federal allocations of vaccine shipped directly to them, these were chosen by
their corporate
offices.
As always, thank you for your patience.
With Gratitude for Your Efforts
Tascha Spears, Ph.D., M.Sc., RN
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January 29 Updates
January 29, 2021 - 9:30 PM
You may have heard the recent ADHS press release: “The Arizona Department of Health
Services (ADHS), the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH), Pinal County
Public Health Services District, and Arizona State University (ASU) reported today that the
so-
called UK COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.7, has been confirmed in three test samples from the
state.”
The job of viruses is to grow and mutate and the virus causing COVID-19 is no different.
Virus
mutations are detected through genome sequencing which helps us understand the properties
of the virus. According to the CDC, variant B.1.1.7 spreads “more easily and quickly” which
may
result in more cases of COVID-19 and therefore possibly more persons who seek clinical care.
Those who may have the B.1.1.7 variant are not informed of it as genome sequencing occurs
with “de-identified” samples. So, it will not be possible for any of us to let you know if
you have
this version of the virus.
So far, the CDC expects that the current vaccines will be effective against this variant,
adding
that mitigation protocols are “essential to limit the spread of the virus and protect public
health.”
See more information on variants of the virus at the CDC link:
cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant
For those interested in research data on Moderna vaccine’s effectiveness against variants:
investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-covid-19-
vaccine-retains-neutralizing-activity-against
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Please note this is a fluid situation that changes
as more
information is provided by the CDC
and AZDHS.
Check out this video explaining how the COVID-19
vaccine works: