New indoor vaccine sites open across Arizona.
The Chandler-Gilbert Community College vaccine site will be moving to a new location beginning April 5. Those who have received their first dose at the CGCC site have already begun scheduling their second doses to be administered at the new location.
The new location will be located at 8046 E. Ray Road and is being hosted by the company Dexcom. They have many warehouse locations in the area and are committing over 30,000 square feet in space for the new vaccine site.
They plan to begin operating at limited capacity, administering about 3,000-4,000 doses per day. However, the site can eventually account for 12,000 doses and operate 24 hours per day.
Since Arizona allowed everyone 16 and older to begin receiving their COVID vaccine doses on March 24, the CGCC site has seen an influx of people. An upgrade in infrastructure was needed to keep up with the increase in numbers.
The state had announced over 3 million Arizonans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Temperatures are beginning to rise in Arizona, and this has pushed the Arizona Department of Health Services to begin utilizing indoor facilities to administer vaccines. Staff members and volunteers will not have to worry about working in the heat for hours at a time.
Beyond the better environment for volunteers and staff members to work in, the move to indoor facilities will ensure the site continues to run properly. The iPads and other technology used may suffer from overheating in the extreme heat of the summertime, as well as damage the vaccine doses that are held on site.
The largest vaccine site in Arizona, hosted at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, is going through its own transition into indoor facilities. It has shifted from being 24/7 to operating from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. and will be moving to Gila River Arena starting April 23.
More indoor facilities are likely to be implemented over time to eliminate the risk factor of working in the heat. The goal is to ultimately provide ample locations and opportunity for people in the community to receive their vaccinations.
After the first wave of people receive their doses from the newly opened indoor locations, the vaccination effort will move to smaller locations that will not operate at a large scale. Vaccines will move to smaller community events and be available at local pharmacies and healthcare centers.
Editor’s note: The original story date is April 5. Due to newspaper and college-wide technical difficulties, this story is now made available on April 16.
