Scotiabank Arena to host mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic for young kids Dec. 12-16
Mall of Americas to host mass COVID-19 testing clinic for kids under 12 Dec. 17
More than 1,000 kids and young adults will be in attendance at all three mass vaccination clinics:
The Scotiabank Arena will open to the public Wednesday at 7 a.m., and will host its first mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
The Scotiabank Centre on Tuesday will present a clinic to give children and young adults under 12 a vaccine and a dose of the Shingrix, a nasal spray, to be administered by a doctor.
The mall, which is undergoing a $1.7-billion transformation, will host the third and final clinic on Thursday, when kids aged between 12 and 24 will have the opportunity to receive the vaccine and the nasal spray, a procedure that takes about 45 minutes.
Both events will offer the vaccine that has been shown to reduce the transmission of the virus, meaning younger people are being vaccinated before the public and health workers in the days ahead.
The first major health-care-related clinic to be held in the nation’s capital since the pandemic began in January is part of the Mall of Americas’ ongoing push to provide medical services to children and get them through the pandemic.
Mall of Americas officials will conduct the two separate mass vaccination clinics, offering the COVID-19 vaccine and nasal spray to those who are 12 and under, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Atlanta and Florida chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“There’s a misconception that you are required to be in a hospital for COVID-19,” said Dr. Robert F. Young, the Mall of America’s senior vice president of children and family services. “But the reality is, even if we are able to protect everyone, we need to focus on getting to the people who are at risk the most and helping them.”
The MPA is home to the highest concentration of health care providers and the largest