“ So, State Farm Stadium is the first 24/7 vaccination site in Arizona. We have a dashboard that we monitor all of our data that we look at. And so we are averaging between 8,000 and 9,000 vaccines per day; that currently is both first and second doses. It’s about 350 to 400 vaccines per hour. And like was said, we’ve vaccinated almost 170,000 times out here at State Farm Stadium. This one site is responsible for over 18 percent of all of the vaccines delivered in Arizona since we started. Our full capacity, though, here is 12,000 vaccines per day. ”

“ Christ proposed a partnership here at State Farm Stadium. We put a team of planners together with all of health services and brought in a whole lot of volunteers.
And as you can see, over half of this is now staffed by volunteers. We feed them while they’re here. We provide them a work rest cycle. But literally, the idea is to get this functioning with as little help from the Guard as possible so we can replicate this in all 15 counties all around the state. And we couldn’t do it without the federal partnership, especially the financial resources and obviously the delivery of the vaccine. ”

“ We are still in our Phase 1A and prioritized 1B populations here in Arizona, and there’s an eligibility whether you call in or you sign up here. But we’re still doing healthcare workers, long-term care residents, protective services, our educators and childcare, as well as adults over the age of 65.
One of the other things that we’ve found really helps us keep up with our vaccine supply is to offer plus-ones. So that is a clinical decision that is offered to somebody else who may have accompanied that individual in the car, whether it’s a caretaker, a family member. ”

“ I’m with Arizona State University. I’m the head charge nurse here at the vaccination pod at State Farm Stadium.
So I’m just going to walk you guys through the process.
Let’s see — I have 10 lanes here at the vaccination pod. I have three people in charge of each lane. I have a data verification person; they are in charge of entering and charting in the vaccine management system.
Once the cars are all checked in, then they come through to the tent, where I have a vaccinator and I have a clinical assist. My clinical assist is in charge of safety. ”

“ How are you reaching out to your hardest-hit communities and those who may have a difficult time with transportation or just, proportionally, are some of the hardest hit but maybe not receiving the vaccine at the greatest numbers? ”

“ Now, in Arizona, what is the age eligibility for coming through that tent?
MS. HAYES: So we are — since we are doing the Pfizer vaccine, it is 16 and over, but the 16 and over have to be — the appointment needs to be made online. If they are a walk-in, it does have to be 18 or older due to them just being minors.
THE PRESIDENT: Right. And what do you hear from the folks coming through that get the vaccine — that actually get the shot in their arm? What are the kind of things you most often hear from them or your — your volunteers hear? ”

“ At the request of state and local leaders across the country, we’ve made the cost to build these sites fully reimbursable through FEMA. Just yesterday, FEMA awarded $20 million to the state of Arizona to support the COVID-19 response, including vaccination operations. These funds can help support building new community vaccination centers just like this one.
Here’s a look at the site you’re going to see today. There’s a great team on the ground who’s going to walk you through it. ”

“ We’re going to face some setbacks along the way, including the complication of the strains that we’re seeing from South Africa and other places. But I know we can do it. We’ve never failed as a country when we’ve done things together. Never, ever, ever, ever fail when united. ”

“ It depends on our vaccine supply and the capacity that we have at the site to be able to register that additional person. But we really try.
We know that people are in constant contact with family members and loved ones. And the more we can do to surround them with vaccinated people, like their caretaker, it just keeps people safer. ”

“ We have a very large influx of winter visitors and migrant agricultural workers to Arizona this time of year. So Arizona has made the decision not to restrict vaccination to residents. You can be from anywhere in the United States, and we will still vaccinate you if you are able to get a partnership. ”

“ But after talking with CDC and the public health professionals, they educated us and let us know that there are mobile operations within the public health sector that are really good at mobile operations.
So we’re going to maximize as much as we possibly can and not just lean on our own understanding, our own FEMA resources in order to go mobile. So a lot to learn still, but we’re staying optimistic that we’re going to once again be able to come together and be able to reach those who need us the most. ”

“ You are a role model of how this kind of approach can work, and thank you for that because it’s not easy being a role model and being one of the first. But — but that being said, you’re a leader, really, in the country around what you’re experiencing right now and how that can help others that start to pop up. ”

“ I’ve met with the leaders — is that it really — it really does matter that we have access to the people who are most in need but are — and most affected by the COVID crisis, dying at faster rates, getting sick at faster rates, and — but not being available, not being able to get into the — into the mix. ”

“ And we’re funding the Arizona National Guard onsite at zero cost to the state.
Since opening, the site has administered over 160,000 doses, now averaging 8,000 vaccinations a day. This stadium is a model for other communities across the country on how they can operate in partnership with the federal government to vaccinate more people.
Our support to the state goes beyond State Farm Stadium. We’ve deployed almost 300 federal personnel from FEMA and three other federal partners to support vaccination operations across the state. ”

“ And then we also have our FEMA Corps teams who are helping us in the state of Kentucky, and they are also very mobile, and they are helping those seniors and those 65 or plus to be able to register and to be able to help them also enroll or do whatever it takes to be able to get vaccinated. ”

“ What that has helped with is our — the 24/7 nature of this operation allows us to ensure that no dose expires or goes unused. So we’ve also got plans with our other pods in the valley that they can transfer a vaccine to us to make sure that they’re not going to expire doses as well. ”