Arizona Vaccination Sites Move Indoors as Summer Approaches

As of Wednesday, more than 1.5 million have been fully vaccinated. 

Multiple COVID-19 vaccination sites are relocating ahead of the incoming hot summer temperatures.

With 100-degree temperatures rapidly approaching, the state’s largest vaccination site at Glendale’s State Farm Stadium will move to the nearby air-conditioned Gila River Arena. 

The location will fully transition to the Gila River Arena on April 23. The new site will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the capacity to administer up to 1,000 shots per hour. 

In the meantime, the State Farm site—which is entirely outdoors—switched to nighttime hours of 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.

The Phoenix Municipal Stadium vaccine site, which currently operates entirely outside, will also relocate to accommodate the heat. It will relocate to the Desert Financial Arena on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus on April 12. 

East Mesa welcomed a state-run indoor drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site Monday, replacing the outdoor location at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. The new distribution point is located at the Dexcom Mesa Regional Distribution Center, 8046 E. Ray Road. 

“All of this is good news,” Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said. “It is a testament to the commitment of staff and volunteers statewide and to the many Arizonans who have rolled up their sleeves. But there is still more to be done.”

Other Statewide Sites Open 

A slate of other sites are also set to open in the coming days.

On April 22, a North Valley site will open at Scottsdale’s WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road. The location will offer up to 4,000 appointments per day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m and will have the capacity to offer up to 10,000 vaccinations daily.

A vaccination site at Yuma’s indoor Civic Center transitioned to a state operation in late March, providing up to 8,000 appointments per week. 

The University of Arizona site in Tucson will remain open. 

As of Wednesday, nearly 3.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered statewide to more than 2.4 million people. That includes more than 1.5 million who are now fully vaccinated. 

At 11 a.m. every Friday, ADHS makes appointments available at state-run sites of the following week. Registration for these sites and others is available at podvaccine.azdhs.gov or by calling 844-542-8201 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m, seven days a week. Both resources offer assistance in English and Spanish.