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Active COVID-19 cases falls below 20; vaccine demand slows

ASU's COVID-19 vaccination efforts will shrink to on-campus sites only after mass, state-run sites close by June 28 following a decline in demand

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Pharmacist Trevor Lawrence fills a syringe with a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.


The University reported a total of 17 active COVID-19 cases Monday, a decrease of eight from 25 cases last week.

According to the update, 15 of the cases are students, and faculty and staff make up the remaining two cases. 

All 15 of the active student cases are off campus in the metropolitan Phoenix area. There are no students isolating on the Tempe, Downtown Phoenix, West or Polytechnic campuses.

Since Jan. 1, ASU has reported 2,288 positive cases out of the 96,130 total tests administered, with a total positivity rate of about 2.4%. 

The Arizona Department of Health Services announced Monday the state has administered over 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine since December 2020. Just under 3.4 million Arizonans have received at least one dose of the vaccine and over 2.9 million have been fully vaccinated. 

The vaccination milestone comes several days after ADHS announced plans to phase out mass vaccination sites. The state-run sites will close by June 28 due to decreased demand for vaccines over the last few weeks. 

The state will begin to shift the vaccination focus to smaller local clinics, doctor’s offices, pharmacies and pop-up sites, according to a press release from the ADHS. 

"Arizona is off to a great start at protecting everyone from COVID-19, and state-run vaccination sites have been a big part of that success. In many ways, the hard work is now underway for ADHS and our local partners," said ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ. "Our focus is shifting to connecting people to the information they need before getting vaccinated and to the growing number of providers offering vaccine in neighborhoods around Arizona, including pop-up clinics."

Although ASU played a large role in running several of the mass vaccination sites, including the state's first large-scale vaccine site at State Farm Stadium and the Desert Financial Arena site, the University does not currently have plans to participate in pop-up clinics or community vaccination events. 

"We are always willing to support state efforts, so that may change at some point in the future but there is nothing being considered at this time. And while ASU has the ability to provide both large and small scale pop-up sites, but based on current availability in doctor’s offices, pharmacies and other commercial locations, we do not foresee an immediate need," a University spokesperson said in an email to The State Press. 

COVID-19 vaccination appointments across the state can be found on the ADHS vaccine patient portal. ASU students can continue to schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments through their Health Portal, and ASU employees can access vaccination information through ASU Employee Health. 


Reach the reporter at alcamp12@asu.edu and follow @Anna_Lee_Camp on Twitter.

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