Can Drunk People Get The COVID-19 Vaccine At Fiesta?
Several traditional Fiesta events were canceled this year, including the Battle of the Flowers Parade, King William Fair and the Oyster Bake. However, there is one event at this years Fiesta that you wont find in a normal Fiesta year: COVID-19 vaccine clinics. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is administering vaccines at Fiesta events. They offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to encourage people to get a shot without having to worry about returning for a second dosage, Lucy Hernandez said. Hernandez manned the pop-up clinic at Night In Old San Antonio (NIOSA) on Wednesday, and at about 6 p.m., she said they had vaccinated two people. Its early on, we do expect more, she said. Metro Health is focusing their efforts on Fiesta events to try to reach more people who wouldnt otherwise get the vaccine. We are reaching out to different communities throughout the City of San Antonio, hoping to reach that population that is not able to make it to a vaccine clinic  say at the Alamodome, or UT health, or other places that did have the vaccine available to the public, she said. Hernandez said she was at the Plaza Guadalupe pop-up clinic last week, where they vaccinated 102 people. I think it was in an area where it was more accessible to housing, to a neighborhood, and there were more people who were able to walk to the location, so we had families come together to be vaccinated, she said. But while Fiesta is a time for music, partying and having a good time, that also means that a lot of Fiesta-goers have likely had a few drinks. Hernandez said this doesnt necessarily disqualify them from getting the vaccine at one of the Fiesta pop-ups. It would be up to the nursing staff to determine if the individual is able to understand (the consent form) theyre signing and what they are agreeing to have administered to them, she said. People also have to wait for a 15-minute observation period to ensure they dont react negatively to the vaccine. People react differently. A majority of people have no reaction, so thats hard to identify and relate it to alcohol if theyve been drinking, she said. Metro Health will have clinics set up at NIOSA Thursday and Friday night from 4-8 p.m. There will also be a clinic at the Fiesta Carnival at the Alamodome through Sunday from 4-8 p.m., as well as one at La Charreada on Sunday from 3-5:30 p.m.  TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.