A flock of gray-haired drivers passed orange traffic cones, passed red signs and a white tent on Sunday to receive the COVID-19 vaccine without ever leaving their cars.
About 1,000 people over 70 received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in a parking lot outside Coors Field as part of a UCHealth drive-thru event that served as a trial before a much larger vaccination effort planned for the next end week.
Sunday’s vaccinations were made to test the setup and allow UCHealth to resolve any issues before the next weekend, when organizers hope to vaccinate up to 10,000 people at the drive-thru site in two days. The vaccine is given only to people with an appointment; any others that appear will be rejected.
The test went smoothly on Sunday – traffic flowed continuously to 18 individual tents where drivers were vaccinated. After the first hour, UCHealth added some additional instructions for drivers and enlisted another flag shake to point people in the right direction.
After patients were vaccinated, they were asked to wait in another parking lot for about 15 minutes to ensure that they did not experience any negative reactions. The signs there told drivers to blow their horns or blink if they started to feel bad. Traveling medical observers monitored that lot.
Robb Pickard, 70, took a selfie when receiving the vaccine on Sunday, less than 10 minutes after joining the queue. The process was smooth and easy, he said.
“I hope this will help me and others to get back to normal,” he said.
Richard Zane, UCHealth’s chief of emergency medicine, said that mass vaccinations like the one planned for next weekend are one of three ways health professionals can administer vaccines. Vaccines can also be administered in fixed clinics, such as doctors’ offices, or in mobile clinics, which can travel to communities that are difficult to access.
“The sooner we are all vaccinated, the sooner we can put this in our rear view mirror,” he said. UCHealth currently has the capacity to do about 30,000 vaccinations a week, said spokesman Dan Weaver, but is giving about half that number due to limited vaccine supplies.
The state of Colorado has committed 10,000 doses for next weekend’s event, Zane said. The doses distributed on Sunday were stored under surveillance in special freezers at Coors Field until they were injected into the patients.
All vaccinees must make an appointment in advance, and everyone can apply to be vaccinated through UCHealth, either through their website or by calling 720-462-2255 – those who qualify to be vaccinated, as people over 70 years, you will then be notified when an appointment is available.
Sandra Haselden, 73, hopes that vaccination will give her a little more freedom to navigate the world this year. She has an immunodeficiency disease and stayed home during the pandemic, not even venturing out to buy groceries.
“It has been a very boring and restrictive life,” she said. “It’s hard not to fall into shit.”
After receiving her second dose of the vaccine – in about three weeks – she is eager to run errands and leave the house.
“I want this crap to go away, so if you have a needle in your arm, it’s worth it,” she said.
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