Members of the UAB community received free Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations in an event at Bartow arena today. The May 18 event held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. was the first of two this summer. A second vaccination event will be held on June 8 at Bartow Arena for new and incoming students where they can receive their second or first dose.
“There’s a lot of desire to offer to younger people and so that what we’re here offering today,” said Jaye Locks, ambulatory services administrator for UAB Medicine. “We want to make sure that everybody is covered.”
While the events are aimed at students, no one who shows up will be turned away as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for those ages 12 and older.
For the Pfizer vaccine, two doses separated by 21 days are required to be considered fully vaccinated. Anyone who receives their first dose on June 8 will have to receive their second dose at a different location.
As a part of the event, those who received a vaccination also received a free food, UAB swag and a shot to win a $250 Amazon gift card. Parking is available in the nearby zone B, D and E lots.
Gabrielle Lynch, a senior majoring in biomedical sciences, said the event helped her get the vaccine when she’s a difficult time otherwise.
“It’s been hard to find it because I live in a rural area,” said Lynch. “So my friend sent this to me that they were doing the walk-in here, and I come here on Mondays for classes, so I was like, okay, I can just stay an extra day.”
Julie Anne Dorris, a third-semester graduate student studying occupational therapy, said she thought this was an important event to have on campus.
“I think that it’s super important that all the students just have an open time where you don’t have to schedule an appointment,” said Dorris. “I think that is gonna bring a lot of people in to get vaccinated today.”
Students are also strongly encouraged to upload a record of their vaccination to their patient portal. Instructions on how to upload records to the patient portal can be found here.
“The thing that’s important about uploading is that it lets student health know that you’ve been vaccinated so that as we start to look at how we incorporate back into the classroom it gives us an idea of how many people of vaccinated to know what types of immunity we have to help with masking and help with social distancing,” Locks said.
The COVID-19 vaccine is widely effective with the latest CDC research showing 94% effectiveness in healthcare professonals.
As of May 12, 2,703,330 vaccine doses have been administered statewide in Alabama, and Jefferson County is one of 14 Alabama counties where 40% or more of residents 16 or older have received at least one dose.
