COVID-19 vaccination rates low among young people in U.S., Arizona

President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70% of Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 by July 4 is proving to be a tall order for several states, including Arizona. Public health experts say that’s because of, in part, the lagging vaccination rate among young people, both nationally and locally.

As of Friday, approximately 3,431,157 Arizonans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 47.7%. Approximately 2,955,931 are fully vaccinated against the virus. In Maricopa County, the state’s largest county, just more than 30% of individuals ages 15 to 34 have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But a study from MyBioSource.­com showed that 1 in 3 Arizonans support incentives to get people vaccinated.

With Arizona shuttering its state-run mass vaccination sites at the end of June and shifting its focus to community health providers, it’s up to state and county officials to get creative in order to reach young people.