There will be a 24-hour COVID-19 vaccine clinic this weekend at the DoubleTree, 350 1st Ave NE, in downtown Cedar Rapids, Linn County Public Health announced on Monday. Anyone 16 years and older is eligible to make an appointment.
The large-scale clinic will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and run through 9 a.m. on Sunday. The Pfizer vaccine will be offered at the clinic, and the second dose clinic will be held from Saturday, May 8 to Sunday, also from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m., according to LCPH.
The event is being hosted by Reutzel Pharmacy in collaboration with LCPH and the Iowa Pharmacy Association. The clinic will be staffed by representatives from these organizations.
“The unique format of the 24-hour clinic over the weekend is intended to provide access to vaccine in a way that these patients might not have had before,” Roger Thompson, operations director at Reutzel Pharmacy, said in a news release. “Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible and get shots in arms to vaccinate Iowa.”
About 1,000 individuals will be vaccinated at the clinic, according to the news release. LCPH director Pramod Dwivedi said that this is one strategy the department is utilizing to vaccinate residents who need flexible hours for scheduling anappointment.
Appointments are required for the clinic and can be made online or by calling 319-892-6097. Individuals making an appointment should be available for both the first- and second-dose clinics.
LCPH also announced that Tuesday’s vaccine clinic staged by Hy-Vee and Collins Aerospace has been canceled due to the immediate pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Appointments will be rescheduled.
Individuals whose appointments have been impacted by the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can sign up for this weekend’s 24-hour clinic, LCPH said.
