To date, 5,599,098 doses COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Arizona to 3,169,782 individuals, including 2,660,462 who are fully vaccinated. Arizona’s percentage of those vaccinated in smaller rural counties is well above the national average of 38.9% according to a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In fact, Arizona ranks ahead of every other state for its percentage of adults vaccinated against COVID-19 in smaller rural counties.
The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that 59% of those 18 and older in Navajo, Apache, Gila, Santa Cruz, Graham, La Paz, and Greenlee counties had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of April 10. That’s 156,182 individuals.
Gila County won national attention for rapidly moving through phases of vaccine prioritization and opening vaccination to everyone 18 and older by the start of March. The Navajo Nation, which includes large portions of Navajo and Apache counties, reported in late April that more than half of its adult population had been vaccinated against COVID-19, and this month it reported more than 100,000 fully vaccinated. Santa Cruz County, meanwhile, has the state’s highest vaccination rate.
In most states, vaccination in counties considered rural for the CDC report trailed more urban counties. In Arizona, 43.9% of those 18 and older had been vaccinated against COVID-19 in counties the report defined as more urban: Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma, Mohave, Coconino, and Cochise. The national average for these areas was 45.7%.
It’s the second time in recent months that Arizona’s vaccination efforts have been favorably mentioned in the CDC publication. In March, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ranked Arizona among the best states for getting the COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable communities.