Anchorage’s no-appointment vaccine clinic Friday reaches capacity

Update, 4 p.m. Friday: A drive-thru vaccine clinic Friday at the Dempsey Anderson Ice Arena in Anchorage hit capacity within the first two hours of operation and is now done for the day.

“The clinic has reached capacity and won’t be taking any new patients at this time,” the Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said in an alert sent just after 3:30 p.m. Friday. “Please be aware that traffic in the area is currently moving slowly.”

The vaccine clinic was originally scheduled to run from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday. Heather Harris, Anchorage Health Department director, said Thursday that the clinic was an effort to test whether eliminating the need to schedule an appointment would make getting a vaccination easier for some people.

Anchorage police said that westbound traffic on Northern Lights Boulevard was backed up east of Minnesota Drive and urged drivers to use another route.

Another clinic that was open to walk-ins Friday afternoon — this time at the Gallo Center on Dimond Boulevard — ran out of vaccine, according to city officials.

Original story:

Drive-thru COVID-19 vaccinations will be available without an appointment from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Dempsey Anderson Ice Arena in Anchorage.

Anyone 16 and older who lives or works in Alaska is currently eligible for a shot. The vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech is approved for use by people 16 and older, while Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines have been approved for adults 18 and older.

The vaccine available Friday at the Dempsey Anderson Ice Arena will be Pfizer’s.

That location has additional, appointment-based openings this week and next. To book a vaccine appointment at other times and in locations across the state, visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322; new appointments are added to the site regularly.

The phone line is staffed from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.