ACDH to host drive-thru COVID-19 booster clinic Thursday – 9/22/2022

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2 years ago

A drive-through vaccination clinic next Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, will provide Allen County residents with free, newly available COVID-19 vaccinations.

Allen County Department of Health news release:

Allen County Department of Health to host drive-through COVID-19 bivalent booster clinic

Fort Wayne, Indiana (Sept. 15, 2022) – A drive-through vaccination clinic next Thursday, Sept. 22, will provide Allen County residents with free, newly available COVID-19 vaccinations.

The bivalent vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech target the original strainS of the virus as well as the Omicron COVID-19 variant. The vaccines tested and recently approved by federal regulators provide better protection against the widely circulating Omicron variant, which is causing most of the COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Heading into fall, we encourage all who are eligible to get a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine,” Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Gutwein said. “Vaccines, including the important new boosters, continue to save lives and protect us from the most serious outcomes of COVID-19 by broadening immune response.”

What: Drive-through COVID-19 bivalent booster clinic

When: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022

Where: Allen County Health Department Medical Annex, 4813 New Haven Ave.

Who: Must have already completed the primary COVID-19 vaccination series; must have been two months since any COVID-19 vaccination; AND must have been at least four weeks since any monkeypox vaccination.

Cost: FREE

The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent boosters each have been approved as single-dose boosters given at least two months after your last COVID-19 shot. Those who have recently had COVID-19 can wait three months since their diagnosis to receive the updated booster.

The Moderna bivalent booster is available to anyone 18 and older who meets eligibility requirements. The Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster is available to anyone 12 and older who meets eligibility requirements.

The bivalent COVID-19 boosters are the only vaccines that will be offered at the drive-through clinic.

“We have worked since the beginning of the pandemic to ensure local residents have access to essential tools such as COVID-19 testing and vaccines to ensure they and our community are healthy,” Allen County Department of Health Administrator Mindy Waldron said. “This state-of-the-art drive-through clinic is an extension of that. There is no bad time to get your COVID-19 bivalent booster, and the clinic is free, fast and convenient.”

Vehicles entering the clinic must do so by traveling west on New Haven Avenue, then turning right into the Medical Annex parking lot. For safety reasons, eastbound traffic on New Haven Avenue will not be allowed to turn into the lot.

It is suggested that drivers use East Washington Boulevard/Indiana 930 to connect with New Haven Avenue to avoid being re-routed.

Police and Department of Health staff will direct motorists to the clinic.

Those seeking boosters:

MUST bring both their picture ID and vaccination cards or proof of COVID-19 vaccination with them to the clinic

To save time on in-car registration at the clinic, visitors can complete a form and bring it with them to provide to staff at the time of arrival. The form is available at https://allencountyhealth.com/vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine

Should closely follow instructions from police and Department of Health staff on-site

Should be accompanied by a parent or guardian, if younger than 18

Instructions and information about the drive-through clinic also is available at https://allencountyhealth.com/. Anyone with questions can call (260) 449-7561 for assistance.