DENVER— UCHealth held a mass vaccination event on Sunday at the Coors Field parking lot and a thousand people were vaccinated during a test run for a larger event next week.
The mass COVID-19 vaccination event was for those 70 years or older. The drive-thru event was only open to those who pre-registered and were approved for an appointment.
READ MORE: How to get on UCHealth COVID-19 vaccine list
The site was open between 8 a.m. and noon, with a break between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
"I just got the COVID-19 vaccine!" said Karleyne Tedesco, who came with her husband. "We filled out our form with UCHealth a little over a week ago. And I got my confirmation a little over a week ago to come. It was really easy."
Unfortunately, Karleyne's husband was not selected.
"I was hoping I could get it today but I wasn’t chosen," said Tom Tedesco, Karleyne's husband. "I guess they randomly selected people for today. She was lucky, I wasn’t."
READ MORE: COVID-19 vaccine FAQs
UCHealth said it plans to use this event as a blueprint for potential future mass vaccination events.
"It's really that process of registering them, getting them to the vaccination site where they get the needle in the arm and then moving to a point where they can be observed," said Richard Zane, chief innovation officer at UCHealth.
The operation in the parking lot is set up to vaccinate as many people as possible, recipients waiting just minutes before passing the registration tent, through the lanes of orange cones, and beside one of the 18 tents to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Zane said the drive-thru system is one of the most efficient ways to deliver the vaccine.
"It's convenient for patients," he said. "They don't have to get out of their car, they don't have to park they have to get up and walk."
UCHealth plans to run another mass vaccination event on Jan. 30 and 31. The goal that weekend will be to vaccinate 10,000 people.
"Next weekend, we hope to do between 5,000-10,000 per day, but we are limited by supply of vaccine. It's the single most important thing," said Zane.
People can learn more about getting vaccinated during an AARP telephone town hall this week. Gov. Jared Polis will answer questions about the state's vaccination efforts. The town hall is Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. All you have to do is call 855-962-1468 to listen in.
