Parents and guardians with children ages 12 to 15 will be able to access COVID-19 vaccines for them at state-run sites starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, May 13, pending final federal approval.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer shots for this age group, which includes nearly 400,000 youths statewide, on Monday, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to approve it on Wednesday, May 12.
The recommendation for these ages applies only to the Pfizer vaccine, which is currently available to ages 16 and older. The state-run sites and private pharmacies offer Pfizer shots at this time, but not Pima County.
The other two kinds of vaccines, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are authorized only for those 18 and older.
In Tucson, the state vaccination site is at the University of Arizona, in the Ina E. Gittings Building, Room 129, 1737 E. University Blvd., which is on the north side of the UA Mall, just west of North Campbell Avenue.
Walk-ins are welcome, but parents and guardians also will be able to register those ages 12 to 15 for vaccinations starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, if an appointment is preferred.
Appointments can be made by visiting podvaccine.azdhs.gov or by calling 844-542-8201 to be connected with someone who can assist in English or Spanish.
A parent or guardian must accompany the child and sign a consent form in person that attests the child is at least 12 years old. No identification is required for the child, and place of permanent residence isn’t a factor in whether someone can be vaccinated at a state site.
Any parent or guardian who would like to get the shot from their child’s doctor, instead, should either check with the provider directly or online at the Arizona Department of Health Services’ vaccine finder at azdhs.gov/FindVaccine. The site allows visitors to filter locations by vaccine type.
As of Tuesday, 5.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been given statewide, with 2.5 million people now fully vaccinated.
The state’s health department added 683 known COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths to its COVID-19 data dashboard on Tuesday.
