The Cincinnati Bengals’ Paul Brown Stadium is Greater Cincinnati’s newest mass vaccination site — one of many COVID-19 vaccine opportunities that can be found throughout the region this weekend.
The stadium will launch its first vaccination clinic 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, April 25, as part of the region’s “Get Out the Vax” weekend. About 5,000 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine are earmarked for Sunday’s clinic at the stadium, with about 4,000 doses still unclaimed, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said in a briefing on Thursday.
Appointments can be made at testandprotectcincy.com but aren’t necessary. Walk-ins are welcome, and all vaccines are provided at no cost.
“You need it (a COVID-19 vaccine), your loved ones need it, you need it for your loved ones,” Cranley said. “Please get vaccinated. Don’t be silly.”
Local officials and Bengals leaders have been developing plans to launch a vaccination site at Paul Brown Stadium since February, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that all NFL stadiums would aid the public health effort.
“NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to President Biden indicating that each team would make its stadium available to be used as a mass vaccination site. The Bengals have had discussions with the Cincinnati Health Department as well as TriHealth about the possibility of using the Paul Brown Stadium as a vaccination site,” PJ Combs, director of media relations for the Cincinnati Bengals, told CityBeat at the time. “They are currently working with us to explore how the stadium could be utilized in their vaccination efforts.”
The Paul Brown Stadium mass vaccination site is part of a collaboration among regional partners to get the local population to an 80% vaccination rate by July 4, with “Get Out the Vax” weekends happening the second and fourth weekends in April and May. The campaign has focused on raising vaccine awareness, increasing accessibility, providing transportation, dispelling vaccine myths and connecting with vulnerable populations. Hamilton County Public Health recently launched a permanent walk-up clinic at the Board of Elections building in Norwood to aid the effort.
Since the “Get Out the Vax” campaign launched about two weeks ago, the percentage of vaccinated locals has moved from 35% to 45% within the 15-county region, said Kate Schroder, special advisor for vaccine coordination with the Health Collaborative. All residents ages 16 and up are eligible for vaccination in both Ohio and Kentucky.
“There’s no excuse anymore. If you’ve been waiting because you didn’t want to wait in line or you didn’t want to get on the web and go to multiple websites, those days are past,” Denise Driehaus, Hamilton County Commissioner, said during Thursday’s briefing. “You’ve got access right now to the vaccine, so don’t miss your shot to get the shot.”
Driehaus added that area residents are no more than a 10-minute drive from any vaccination facility.
Paul Brown Stadium is one of many vaccination sites that will be open this weekend, with the Health Gap Health Expo, Kroger, the HealthCare Connection, Esperanza Latino Center, the Urban League and others participating on Saturday, Sunday or both. Most sites accept walk-ins.
Local transit providers will offer free rides to vaccination locations once again. Find the list of participating sites at testandprotectcincy.com or call 211 for information.
This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2021.