June 24, 2021

Media Availability for UArizona Vaccination POD Closing

  • What: Media availability on the last day of the University of Arizona vaccination POD
  • When: Friday, June 25, 3 p.m.
  • Where: Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center, 640 N. National Championship Drive
  • Speakers: University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins, Provost Liesl Folks, Reentry Task Force Director and 17th U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona and Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management and COVID Incident Commander Chris Kopach.
  • RSVP: Please email media_requests@list.arizona.edu if you are planning to attend.

TUCSON, Ariz. — After six months of operation and nearly a quarter of a million doses of COVID-19 vaccine dispensed, the University of Arizona POD is officially closing Friday, June 25.

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins and other university leaders will discuss the POD's success and will be available for interviews.

"Through the POD, we have provided a critical service for our community that exemplifies our land-grant mission," Robbins said. "The immense success of this initiative is due to the hard work, expertise and dedication of hundreds of university faculty, staff and students, as well as volunteers and community partners."

UArizona students, faculty and staff interested getting vaccinated can still make appointments or walk in to receive a first dose at the UArizona POD at the Ina E. Gittings Building, 1737 E. University Blvd., prior to its closure. The POD is only administering second doses for the general public. UArizona students and employees who receive the first dose at the POD this week can get their second dose at the Campus Health COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic starting July 8. The clinic will offer first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine to employees and students through at least the end of the fall semester.

Residents outside of Tucson can check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for availability in their areas.

The UArizona POD is just one of many interconnected operations related to state and county vaccination campaigns. The university's freezer farm will continue operations, storing vaccine doses that will be distributed throughout Southern Arizona via the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health Mobile Health Unit and partners such as the Pima County Health Department.

Key Statistics from the UArizona POD:

  • 242,569 total doses administered as of June 23
  • 30.5% of recipients of at least one dose are of Hispanic or Latinx descent
  • 34.7% of recipients of at least one dose are between the ages of 16-34
  • 25.1% of recipients of at least one dose are over the age of 65
  • At its peak, more than 300 volunteers and staff worked daily to operate the POD.

Key Dates:

  • Jan. 19: The University of Arizona POD opens for Pima County.
  • Feb. 18: The POD becomes a high-capacity state vaccination site.
  • March 28: The POD reaches a total of 100,000 vaccinations administered.
  • April 2: The POD reaches its peak with more than 4,400 vaccinations given in one day.
  • April 27: The POD reaches a total of 200,000 vaccinations administered.

For the most current vaccination and testing numbers, visit https://covid19.arizona.edu/dashboard.

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Media contact:
University Communications
520-626-9422
media_requests@list.arizona.edu

The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top 40 public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2019 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $734 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 66 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually. For the latest on the University of Arizona response to the novel coronavirus, visit the university's COVID-19 webpage.