State health chief Dr. Cara Christ gives the Pfizer vaccine to Gov. Doug Ducey at State Farm Stadium, one of two vaccination sites in Maricopa County open to those 55 and older.

 Office of Gov. Doug Ducey

PHOENIX — Getting a leg up on everyone else in his age group, Gov. Doug Ducey got his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday morning.

But his press aide insists he wasn’t jumping the line.

In an unannounced event, Ducey got Dr. Cara Christ, the state health director, to administer the shot to him Tuesday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. That is one of the state-run sites for inoculations.

Only later did the Governor’s Office put out a news release, video and photos of the event. Those included an explanation that, at age 56, Ducey was now eligible.

That followed Christ’s announcement Monday that the process is now open to anyone age 55 and older at the two state-run sites in Maricopa County, though not yet everywhere in the state, including not yet in Pima County.

What the governor’s release did not say is that when Christ announced the change on Monday, she said that no one in the 55-64 age group could sign up before noon Tuesday to even get an appointment. Ducey’s news release came more than an hour before noon.

And even then, anyone in that age group who did manage to get through the state registration system — online at podvaccine.azdhs.gov — would not be scheduled for a vaccination until at least Thursday, if not later.

Certain younger people have been eligible to get the vaccine based on their occupations, but Ducey did not fit into any of those categories.

“The governor did not jump the line,” said his publicist C.J. Karamargin. Instead, he said, the goal was to create a public service video.

“We had a message to get out about the importance of getting the vaccine, that we were opening up to a category that includes a lot more people,” Karamargin said.

They did not invite the media, he conceded, who then would have publicized the announcement but also would have been able to ask Ducey questions about the state’s handling of the virus and other issues.

“We chose not to,” Karamargin said. “We chose to approach this important announcement by letting people know about it with a video and a press release.”

And the fact that Ducey got inoculated for the PSA ahead of everyone else in his age group?

“This is what leading by example looks like,” Karamargin responded.

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