Pima County will expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to anybody 16 and older starting Monday, April 5, with registration at County-supported sites opening at 8 a.m.
The change in guidance aligns the County with the state's decision to open vaccine eligibility at its sites to all residents 16 and older on March 24. The County, at that time, continued to vaccinate people 55 and older, anybody with high-risk medical conditions and essential workers.
"We have made great progress in vaccinating those groups and are continuing our efforts to ensure that vulnerable and at-risk populations have access to the vaccine as well," said Dr. Theresa Cullen, the Pima County Health Department Director. "With vaccine availability increasing in the county, it's the right time to expand and have the same eligibility requirements no matter where you want to get your shot."
Pima County had set a goal of 300,000 vaccinations by the end of March. When the month ended, more than 472,000 doses had been delivered in the County.
The County, which is supporting three large vaccination sites at Banner-South Kino Stadium, Tucson Medical Center and the Tucson Convention Center, will add a smaller Point of Distribution (POD) at El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, starting Monday, April 5. This will be a walk-in POD with on-site registration. In addition, on-site registration also is available at the Tucson Convention Center.
The site at El Pueblo will operate from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting with an allotment of 600 doses on April 5. This site will be operated by Premier Medical Group (PMG), which is also operating mobile events that target hard-to-reach and underserved areas.
While there are no more restrictions on eligibility other than age, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for 16- and 17-year-olds. Pfizer is available at the state-run site on the University of Arizona campus, at Banner-South, and potentially at local pharmacies.
Those under 18 who are getting vaccinated need a parent or legal guardian with them to complete the consent forms. The only exception is if an accompanying adult brings a notarized letter stating that the parent allows the accompanying adult to complete the consent forms.
For all of the registration options in Pima County, visit our COVID-19 vaccine information page at
www.pima.gov/covid19vaccine.
For questions about registration or help with the registration process, you can also call the Pima County Health Department’s registration support line at 520-222-0119, Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.