Sky Schaudt/KJZZ

Signs for the COVID-19 vaccine at a Fry's pharmacy in north Phoenix in April 2021.

Earlier this year, anytime Arizona’s health department opened registration for COVID-19 vaccine appointments, tens of thousands of slots would be booked within minutes. That’s changed.

In fact, thousands of appointments were available as of Monday morning. The department says demand is slowing down.

More than 35% of Arizonans have now had at least one shot, but experts say we’ll likely need about 80% of the population immunized to contain the virus. So the Arizona Department of Health Services wants to keep up the momentum. It’s releasing a new series of public service announcements. And department director, Dr. Cara Christ, is also appealing to Arizonans to encourage hesitant friends and family to sign up.

“When we did our community listening sessions, people said they would trust their health care provider or people that they knew that had already gotten the vaccine. So please, if you’ve gotten the vaccine, tell people about your experience,” Christ said Monday. “If you have been vaccinated, you know that the vaccines are safe, you know that they’re effective, and you know that they’re available to all, so please help us spread the word.” 

With supply now meeting demand, Christ said the state could wrap up operations at its mass vaccination sites by June and transition to distributing vaccines just at clinics and pharmacies.

→ Q&AZ: What You Need To Know About Getting The Coronavirus Vaccine In Arizona