Watch CBS News

COVID In Denver: Mass Vaccination Event Planned At Coors Field

DENVER (CBS4)- Denver is on track to hold its first mass vaccination event later this month. It's considered a major step in the fight against COVID-19 in Colorado.

Usually by this time, baseball fans are thinking about pitchers and catchers reporting for the season. But this year in LoDo, of course, it's a little different. There's important work to be done at Coors Field before anyone throws out their first pitch.

TEST VACCINE 5PKG.transfer_frame_401
(credit: CBS)

In the effort to get Coloradans vaccinated against COVID-19, any safe plan to get people a shot is a good plan. The latest is a mass vaccination site at Coors Field.

Gov. Jared Polis says the state welcomes any effort to get people vaccinated, "Every kind of site has a role, and whether it's a Coors Field site administered by UCHealth or it's a FEMA site."

On the weekend of Jan. 30, UCHealth wants to vaccinate 10,000 people in two days. People who are older than 70 and sign up for a vaccine on the UCHealth website or calls the UCHealth hotline for an appointment, will be randomly selected for the event. Then they would just get a ride to the north parking lots of the baseball stadium and get their vaccination. UCHealth confirms that only people with an appointment will be vaccinated, no ride-alongs or walk ups.

vaccine-needles (1)
Photo by Christopher Occhicone/Bloomberg via Getty Images

RELATED: Updated Colorado Counties COVID Vaccine Distribution Information

UCHealth hopes that this will become the model for mass vaccination events across the country but if those who are eligible and sign up and aren't randomly selected to be vaccinated at Coors Field, UCHealth assures that they will still be in the que.

For some, it may be better to get vaccinated at your local UCHealth facility, especially if you live far away from downtown.

"There's a barrier to traveling several hours or going to a large stadium," said Polis.

With a goal this lofty, UCHealth wants to make sure everything goes smoothly. That's why they will be doing a test run on Sunday with 1,000 patients. If that goes well, then it's all systems go for the mass vaccination clinic at the end of the month.

covid coronavirus vaccine
(credit: CBS)

Everyone getting a vaccination this weekend already has an appointment and they are not taking walk ups.

LINK: UCHealth

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.