A weekend drive-thru vaccine clinic specifically geared towards reaching newly eligible students kicked off at the Berlin fairgrounds on Saturday.
Beacon Prescription of New Britain, which is the organization running the clinic, said that in the first 48 hours of launching the live sign-up link, more than 1,000 parents registered for appointments.
"We knew it was going to be a big event" said Amanda Sirica, a spokesperson for Beacon Prescription of New Britain. "Parents really want this for their children. We’ve all been weathering the storm, home with our kids, wearing our mask at school, coming home, not seeing friends, and we’re in this together."
Parents were pleased with the efficiency of the clinic and opportunity to get the vaccine.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
"This is a wonderful thing that they’re doing," said Erika Zisa, one of several parents who brought their child out to the fairgrounds to get the vaccine.
The kids we spoke to were pretty excited about it, too.
"It feels great to get the first vaccine," said Berlin resident Shohum Patel. "I feel like I’m safer to now see my friends and everybody. Hopefully after I get my second one, everything will be back to normal."
Local
Patel and student Zackary Zisa said they actually felt no nerves about rolling up their sleeves as they don’t just want shot for themselves but to protect others.
"I go to a lot a car meets, my father does a lot of track days so I’m around a lot of people" said Zisa. "If I’m not vaccinated, I would hate to get anyone else infected with COVID. So you have to be considerate of the family members who are at risk because it’s substantial."
The clinic will be open until 5:45 p.m. and will reopen Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The clinic is geared toward newly eligible students, but all age groups are welcome. To register, click here.
