A new COVID-19 vaccine clinic that opened this week at the Dimond Center mall means it is now possible to get vaccinated any day of the week in Anchorage without an appointment.
The clinic, run by Visit Healthcare at 800 E. Dimond Blvd., Suite 199 — inside the mall across from Ulta Beauty — now allows both walk-ins and appointments between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week.
The Dimond Center operation is the only large-scale vaccination clinic in Anchorage that has walk-in slots regularly available, according to Heather Aronno, a spokesperson for the city’s Office of Emergency Management.
Alaska in March became the first state in the country to open vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older who lives or works in the state. The vaccine available at the Dimond Center is Moderna’s, which is approved for use in anyone 18 and older.
Thousands of appointments remain available around Anchorage over the next several days, according to a vaccine portal that shows many of the providers in the area.
[How to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine in Alaska]
You can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to sign up for a vaccine appointment; new appointments are added regularly. The phone line is staffed 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.
State health officials said this week that the pace of vaccination has slowed statewide, and they’re trying to make getting vaccinated more convenient for Alaskans by slowly transitioning away from requiring appointments.