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Grand Canyon University Preparing To Open As COVID-19 Vaccination Site In West Phoenix

By Rocio Hernandez
Published: Monday, January 25, 2021 - 5:05am
Updated: Tuesday, January 26, 2021 - 5:28pm

Grand Canyon University is preparing to open on Tuesday as a COVID-19 vaccination site for Maricopa County. 

The new COVID-19 vaccination site at GCU will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the first week.

The university expects it will be able to administer 500 to 800 doses per day. The site has drive-through and walk-through options. University officials expects the process will take 30 minutes or less, said GCU President Brian Mueller. This service is especially important in the west Phoenix immigrant community where the university is located, he said.

“A lot of people don’t have access to their own transportation. They need public transportation and many people work long hours," Mueller said. "They don’t have time and so I think it’s important for us to do these kinds of things to help those kinds of people.”  

A Maricopa County spokesman said, "The GCU location is a private event for those vaccinated at a Maricopa POD needing 2nd dose. The event will not be visible to people who have not been invited by email to schedule a second dose. If there are unused slots, (like there were this week) those extra slots will be made visible for those 75+ (depending on capacity and availability of vaccine.) That will be done on a daily basis as we assess numbers and daily capacity so that we are operating at full capacity."

In subsequent weeks, GCU hopes to expand hours of operation to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, provided there are enough vaccines available.

GCU's nursing faculty and fourth-year students are volunteering their time to make this effort possible, Mueller said. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to clarify who is eligible to get vaccines at the GCU site. 

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

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