Public COVID-19 vaccine site opens at Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — In an effort to get the word out about a new COVID-19 vaccine site in the Chapel Hills Mall parking lot near AMC, health officials sent automated text messages to some El Paso County residents encouraging vaccination Tuesday.
The text says the site is operated by Nomi Health in partnership with the state of Colorado and El Paso County Public Health. A Nomi spokesperson tells KRDO Newschannel 13 the text message is legitimate and it is not a scam seeking personal information. Texts will continue to go out this week.
The message includes a link for people to pre-register, which could save them some time in line. However, no appointment or pre-registration is necessary. Anyone at least 16-years-old can show up to the Chapel Hills Mall drive thru site to get a vaccine between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Right now, the site has Pfizer shots on-hand.
“Our vaccine supply is finally really stable and robust,” said El Paso County Public Health’s Medical Director Dr. Robin Johnson. “We can count on the vaccines that we’re going to be getting, particularly Moderna and Pfizer.”
Guy Girtin works at the mall. He says the site’s soft launch has been slow-going.
“I don’t think many people know about it,” said Girtin. “I’m by here every day in the mornings and I’ve seen two cars at the most come through here. It’s not been very busy.”
A Nomi Health worker at the site on Tuesday said two lines can accommodate administering up to 1,000 vaccines per day. The county continues to encourage people to get vaccinated as hospitalizations increase among younger, unvaccinated El Paso County residents.
“None of us are immune to this,” said Johnson. “We all have kind of a civic duty to join in the effort to mitigate the virus because it is only the cumulative effect of our individual choices that will move us together as a community past this pandemic.”
