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COVID Mass Vaccination Sites Taking Walk-Ins Without Appointments Amid High Demand

DENVER (CBS4)- Gov. Jared Polis announced that four mass COVID-19 vaccination sites in Colorado will have availability for walk-ins and drive-ups for those without appointments. Walk-or-drive up vaccinations are now being offered at Ball Arena in Denver, The Ranch in Loveland, the Colorado State Fair Grounds in Pueblo or the Mesa County Fair Grounds in Grand Junction.

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"A lot of people have been putting it off. Well, guess what, it's your turn. We got plenty of vaccines," Gov. Jared Polis told CBS4's Dillon Thomas.

For months now many Coloradans have been spending hours of their days looking for vaccination appointments online. Some have been surfind provider websites seeking vaccines in different counties. Now, with four locations in four major cities offering walk-up appointments, Polis said there is no excuse for anyone over the age of 16 to not get their vaccines.

"You get in, you get your shot, that was it. It took less than three minutes. Everything was super fast I would say," said Luis Veldespino, one of many who showed up to Ball Arena without an appointment and received their shot.

"I've been trying to get an appointment for weeks, but it finally got through. I am happy I finally got the shot and got the passport," said Nolan Tatum, a vaccine recipient.

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Appointments at the four locations are no longer necessary, but are still suggested. Polis said vaccine supply can go quickly, so it is always safe to sign up through the state's website in advance to secure your dose.

"They simplified the process completely, it is amazing," Tatum said.

Polis' office said they expect all community vaccination locations to welcome walk-up appointments in the coming days.
Veldespino said the accessibility was the final push he needed to get his vaccine.

"It was me making the decision, you know what, I am just going to get it done," Veldespino said.

"Stop by, get protected, end the pandemic, protect yourself and your family," Polis said.

The Ranch in Loveland had filled all of its spots for Wednesday when Polis visited the site and will begin taking walk-ins on Thursday.

As for Ball Arena in Denver and the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo, both locations have open spots for Wednesday and Thursday. According to the Joint Operations Center, the sites' availability will fill up quickly due to high demand and open eligibility, not due to any issues with vaccine supply. The other location available for walk-ins is the Grand Junction Convention Center.

Polis announced Tuesday that the mass vaccination sites will be available to those walk-ins to help boost the number of people vaccinated in Colorado. He said it was important to help make vaccines easy to obtain without having to secure an appointment online first.

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Ball Arena will be open 9 a.m.- 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Ranch Complex in Loveland is open 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Pueblo County Fairgrounds is already allowing people to walk or drive up. It is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday through Monday. The Grand Junction Convention Center is allowing walk-ins from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

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