ABERDEEN, S.D.(Press Release)- Avera St. Luke’s will offer the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during Arts in the Park this weekend.

The vaccination area will be west of the food court in the south end of Melgaard Park. It will be staffed for the duration of the event:10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, June 19 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, June 20.

The first 30 people vaccinated on each day will receive a $10 gift card to Ken’s SuperFair Foods and become eligible for an additional door prize.

Those being vaccinated will complete a form that is also available here.Because of changes with state funding, staff may also ask for insurance cards. Vaccines remain free, and insurance is not needed in order to get vaccinated.

Everyone getting vaccinated at this pop-up clinic will take part in a 15-minute observation period.Those that have risk factors will be required to be observed for 30 minutes.

Because the pop-up clinic will be administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only one dose is needed. Those 18 and older are eligible to receive this vaccine.Anyone 12-17 years old may schedule an appointment for the Pfizer vaccine on-site as well.

Vaccine appointments for additional clinics may be made by calling 605-622-5273.  Avera St. Luke’s hosts vaccine clinics on a regular basis inside State Street Medical Square. While those clinics are smaller than earlier clinics, they have been filling up and there remains interest in getting the COVID-19 vaccine, said Alvin Haugen, Director of Pharmacy.

Anyone who wants to ensure a vaccine is available for them at Arts in the Park may also schedule by calling 605-622-5273 or online through vaccinefinder.gov.

Anyone that shows proof of vaccination may also enter for the door prize, which will be given at the end of a possible additional events this summer.  Those events are dependent on the success of vaccinations at Arts in the Park and the continued availability of the vaccine.

Since the end of December 2020, Avera St. Luke’s Hospital has completed approximately 75 first and second dose clinics, administering nearly 19,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

You can learn more about Avera’s vaccination efforts, including information on other vaccination clinics, at Avera.org/covid19.