Health officials in Pinal County are canceling COVID-19 vaccine appointments as supplies of the current formulation have run out and the next version has not yet been approved for use. Retailers are doing the same, according to the New York Times. 

County health representatives confirmed just before 4 p.m. that they ran out of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, which remains recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some clinics, including the county health office in Maricopa, had started canceling appointments after being told shipments may end at any time. The county offers the shots in Maricopa on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

“If someone specifically asks for the 2025-2026 vaccine, or if they’re already up to date under CDC guidance, we can’t offer that yet,” James Daniels, communications director for the county health department, told InMaricopa this morning.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week approved the 2025-2026 formulations from Pfizer and Moderna for adults 65 and older and for children and adults ages 5 to 64 who are at higher risk of severe illness. The CDC must sign off before shipments can begin and a change in agency leadership has delayed that process. 

Maricopa parents calling the county clinics this week were told staff could not guarantee how long the current stock would last. One mother said she was warned her child’s appointment could be canceled at short notice. Another caller said she was offered last year’s vaccine but told the 2025-2026 formulation was not available to order. 

The Arizona Department of Health Services lists only the 2024-2025 vaccine on its website. Federal health officials have not issued any new guidance beyond that version, which remains the only one available through county health departments.

Until the CDC approves the new doses and vaccine suppliers begin shipping them, residents seeking protection against COVID-19 will face few options when seeking an appointment after today.

This story has been updated.