Gov. Ducey: First COVID-19 vaccines expected in Arizona in December

By Rudy Rivas for PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5).

Gov. Doug Ducey took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to announce the State of Arizona has enrolled hundreds of providers who are ready to administer a coronavirus vaccine.

According to Gov. Ducey, Arizona should expect doses on the ground in mid to late December.

An Executive Order signed on Nov. 18 was put in place to prepare for a vaccine: Earlier this year, the state assembled a vaccine task force that is actively working to ensure the effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines once they are available. To support these efforts, Governor Ducey today issued an Executive Order extending the Enhanced Surveillance Advisory to collect information on vaccinations.

The enhanced surveillance will ensure all Arizonans who want the vaccine will receive the appropriate follow-up doses at the correct time. It will also allow the state to identify and support vulnerable populations and underserved communities.

Steve Elliott, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Health Safety (ADHS) released the following statement after Ducey's announcement was made: 

ADHS has been planning for COVID-19 vaccine distribution for months and recently submitted to the federal government a Draft Arizona COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. This draft plan calls for a local allocator model where local county health departments and tribal health partners will make allocation decisions to vaccine providers in their jurisdictions. Vaccination sites will primarily include outpatient healthcare providers, such as county health departments, large vaccination providers, pharmacies, and federally qualified health centers.

Details surrounding the specific vaccine and who will get the vaccine first is unknown at this time. 

Monday's vaccine update comes as Arizona passes over 300,000 new COVID-19 cases with over 6,450 deaths. “Arizona health authorities on Tuesday 11/24 reported 4,544 new coronavirus cases with 51 additional deaths.”