COVID In Denver: School District & Denver Health Host First Of Several Mass Vaccination Events For Students
DENVER (CBS4) - Aliziya Oliva knew Saturday morning she was going to get her COVID-19 vaccine. She is one of 6,000 Denver Public Schools students aged 16 and up who will be vaccinated at mass vaccination events held by Denver Health and DPS.
"I feel like it's important to get vaccinated to like simmer down the virus," she said. "It was quick. It was painless."
Saturday organizers held one event in Green Valley Ranch. It was the largest of six clinics they plan to hold. It's a mission critical for DPS and Denver Health.
"It's important for a couple of reasons; one is of course to protect them from getting COVID, the other is to protect the other students, the other people in these buildings as well as their family members," said Dr. Steve Federico from Denver Health.
Students made appointments, but Denver Health was also able to find enough vaccines to offer it to their parents, like Aliziya's mom, Sabrina.
"I was not expecting it. I've been on waiting lists forever so I'm glad I got vaccinated," Sabrina said.
DPS says the more they can prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in their schools, the more they can commit to in person learning and activities. Aliziya says it's too late for her, she missed out on her senior year because people didn't take COVID-19 seriously enough.
"We should have been smarter people about it," she said.
Now she says she hopes the community takes this opportunity to get vaccinated so her peers can have a normal school experience.
"It would be basically less to worry about if we all followed what we are supposed to."
Denver Health has more information on upcoming events and signups.