CDC: 99.9% of eligible residents in southern Arizona county are vaccinated against COVID-19
Sep 22, 2021, 4:35 AM
(AP file Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
(AP file Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
PHOENIX — Santa Cruz County has fully vaccinated nearly all of its residents who are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC data shows 99.9% of residents in the southern Arizona county who are 12 years and older are fully vaccinated.
However, Santa Cruz County Health and Human Services Director Jeff Terrell projects the percentage is actually closer to about 90%.
Terrell told KTAR News 92.3 FM he believes the CDC’s vaccination rate for his county is a bit higher because it counts people who work in the county but don’t live there. He also pointed out there was a big push to get everyone, including those who work in the county, vaccinated.
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Santa Cruz County’s push to get people vaccinated included partnering with the City of Nogales and the Mariposa Community Health Center, which has distributed a large number of the COVID-19 vaccines in the county, along with a social media campaign.
“Our philosophy was if you live or work in Santa Cruz County, we would want to get you vaccinated because you are participating and you’re a member of our community,” Terrell said.
“You’re going to have that vaccine hesitancy no matter where you’re at, no matter what county,” he added. “But down here, I think people were more inclined to get it because I think they wanted to really get back to somewhat of a normal life and be able to see their grandkids, be able to see family and go out to the store and not worry about it as much.”
Vaccination rates aren’t nearly as high in other Arizona counties.
CDC data show 66% of residents eligible for a vaccine in Pima County are fully vaccinated, 60.8% in Cochise County, 66.8% in Yuma County, 50.9% in Pinal County and 55.7% in Maricopa County.
The CDC gets its COVID-19 vaccination data from various entities, including clinics, retail pharmacies, long-term care facilities and dialysis centers.
The agency notes the data presented “might differ from data on state and local websites” because of differences in how data sets were collected.
