24-hour vaccine clinic in Cedar Rapids this weekend open to public

CEDAR RAPIDS — A 24-hour COVID-19 vaccine clinic will take place in downtown Cedar Rapids this weekend to vaccinate any individual age 16 and older, county public health officials announced.

The large-scale public vaccine clinic will be hosted at the DoubleTree in downtown Cedar Rapids starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 17, and ending at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 18.

Public health officials and health care providers will administer the Pfizer vaccine to approximately 1,000 people, according to a Linn County Public Health news release.

A clinic to administer the second doses will take place May 8.

Appointments are required for the clinic.

Those making an appointment should be available for both the first and second dose clinics. Appointments can’t be rescheduled due to the limited hours of the clinic.

Individuals can schedule an appointment online by visiting the county website at www.linncounty.org/1540/Community-Clinics. Appointments can also be scheduled by calling (319) 892-6097.

Interpreting services will be available at both clinics.

The clinic will be hosted by Reutzel Pharmacy in collaboration with Linn County Public Health and the Iowa Pharmacy Association.

“Collaboration across the state between pharmacies and public health departments is critical to efficiently immunize our state’s population,” Kate Gainer, executive vice president at the Iowa Pharmacy Association, said in a news release.

The vaccine clinic’s overnight hours are meant to increase accessibility for shift workers and others who need flexible hours for scheduling a vaccine appointment, officials said.

“The unique format of the 24-hour clinic over the weekend is intended to provide access to vaccine in a way that these patients might not have had before,” Roger Thompson, operations director at Reutzel Pharmacy, said. “Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible and get shots in arms to vaccinate Iowa.”

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