MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave County is working with Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Congressman Paul Gosar to attempt to acquire more COVID-19 vaccine for northwest Arizona. Department of Public Health Director Denise Burley told the board of supervisors Monday that local demand far exceeds the weekly allotment of 3,000 doses to Mohave County.

“That’s just not enough,” Burley said. “You’re going to have people fighting people for first doses and second doses.”

Burley said she’s grateful that this week’s allocation will be 8,000, increasing to 39,700 the number of doses sent to Mohave County. She said the county had administered 30,119 vaccine doses by the end of Sunday, a 95% usage rate.

Burley reported that 9,168 people had received both shots by Sunday.

Dist. 5 Sup. Ron Gould noted public frustration about short supply and difficulty or inability to schedule appointments. He said many citizens don’t understand that the county is abiding by state and federal dictates in the vaccine procurement and distribution arenas.

“We don’t have total freedom to do whatever we want to do and we are also using private providers,” Gould said during Monday’s board meeting in Kingman. “There seems to be a misperception that we’re in charge and we can do whatever we want, and that’s just not true.”

Dist. 2 Sup. Hildy Angius asked about the new single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, asking about its rate of effectiveness.

Burley said the new vaccine is 66.7% effective in protecting against severe and moderate illness from contracting the coronavirus. She said it is 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 related death.

Burley also told supervisors that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine may end up being used for people and circumstances that make scheduling a second shot more difficult. She noted Mohave County inmates for example, given an average local jail stay of 20.5 days when the Moderna shots are provided four weeks apart.

Burley told supervisors that mass vaccination clinics are imminent.

“Safeway and the Mohave County Department of Public Health are collaborating on events Bullhead City, Kingman and Lake Havasu,” said Burley. “The first event will be this Wednesday at the Anderson Field House.”

500 doses are available for the Anderson event from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 320 of the doses are designated for people getting their second shot, while the other 180 will be first shot vaccinations.

Subsequent mass vaccination events are being scheduled for Kingman and Lake Havasu City. Burley said additional information should be provided either on the county website and/or through a news release to be issued by Communications Director Roger Galloway.

Dave Hawkins