The Arizona Cardinals are providing a site for people to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. The team announced that it was opening State Farm Stadium in partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services to expand vaccine doses availability. The site will be open 24/7, starting on Monday afternoon.
According to the Cardinals, the site’s opening was made possible by a $1 million grant from the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation. The NFL team, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Arizona State University, and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs provided extra support. “Our new vaccine site in Glendale will rapidly expand the number of Arizonans getting vaccinated,” Gov. Doug Ducey said. “We need to get these vaccine doses out of freezers and into the arms of Arizonans who want it, and our new site will speed up that process.”
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The vaccination site at State Farm Stadium will open on Monday afternoon. Members of law enforcement and other protective service workers will be the first to receive the vaccination. People in Phase 1A and 1B will be able to make appointments to receive their doses starting Tuesday. Phase 1B prioritizes protective service workers, teachers and K-12 school staff, child care workers, and people age 75 and older.
“Every corner of our community has been impacted by COVID-19, but the availability of vaccines is a major development in the fight against it,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said. “All of us at the Cardinals and State Farm Stadium are proud to assist in administering these vaccinations in the safest and most efficient way, starting with those most in need of them.”
The Arizona Department of Health Services reports that 123,862 Arizona residents had received the coronavirus vaccine as of Friday afternoon. 2,127 of these people are fully vaccinated after receiving both doses. Arizona has more than 180 vaccination sites available for residents, and this number is “steadily rising.”
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, State Farm Stadium has served as the site of several critical events, including a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) drive and drive-through testing for coronavirus. The stadium also hosted a major one-day blood drive on March 31 to meet the demand for donations amid the cancellation of nearly 200 blood drives in Arizona. The Cardinals then partnered with the American Red Cross and Anheuser-Busch to hold two more blood drives on April 7-8.
