KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As throngs of comic book fans head downtown this weekend for Planet Comicon, the city’s health department hopes to vaccinate some of those convention visitors.
A walk-in clinic will offer all three approved vaccines to anyone eligible.
You don’t even have to have a ticket to Planet Comicon to walk into the clinic at Bartle Hall. Shots are free with no insurance required until 4 p.m. Friday and again Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Outreach vaccination clinics have yielded low turnout in recent weeks. A nurse said if the health department is able to do 50 vaccinations at this convention event, that would be a big success.
Planet Comicon organizers said they are not concerned about the convention becoming a super spreader event. Mask mandates aren’t needed with this crowd. It’s all part of the fun.
“The mask mandate is not necessarily as much of a hurdle as it is in some places,” said Chris Phelan, a local organizer. “People have been showing up to Planet Comicon for years dressed as their favorite superheroes with masks galore. And we know people have been spending a lot of time making masks to match their outfits this year at Planet Comicon.”
Anyone who does get vaccinated at Planet Comicon will receive a free baby Yoda child Mandalorian pin.
The health department said it’s doing better vaccinating eligible children against COVID-19 at its childhood immunization clinics. Public health workers did about 175 vaccinations Thursday at one school.
