As people scramble to find COVID-19 tests and schedule booster appointments, the Dallas Mavericks are making the process as quick and convenient as possible.
Just before tipoff at every Mavs home game outside of the American Airlines Center, you’ll see a popup station for tests, vaccines and booster shots – no appointment needed.
Deliana Glenn with MD Lab Texas said the goal is to make the process smooth and unintimidating.
“Most days we’ll do about 10 to 15 boosters of vaccines. We’re seeing an uptick of boosters right now just due to the new variant out,” Glenn said.
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Glenn said she’s encouraged by the turnout.
“It’s about 50/50 on who shows up for the vaccines,” she said. “50% people of people who have tickets and 50% who see us here or heard about us being here.”
Amanda and Oscar Rodriguez are among the 50% who showed up just for booster shots without tickets to the game. They drove to the American Airlines Center from Grand Prairie after an appointment at Walgreens was unexpectedly canceled.
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“They [Walgreens] canceled like an hour or two before, so we had heard that it was a quick process here so we might as well give it a shot before the holidays,” said Oscar Rodriquez.
The omicron variant now accounts for some 73% percent of all new COVID-19 infections nationwide. Data shows antibodies that fight the virus can multiply up to 37 times after a booster shot.
Brothers, Chris and Jordan Strong are in town on college break. They said booster shots were top priority.
“This is my second day home, and I knew I wanted to get it now,” said Jordan Strong. “I’ve just flown back from a semester abroad and things with omicron were raging a little bit there.”
Glenn said MD Lab Texas also runs infusions centers and she’s seen what the virus can do. She said 70% of all patients at the centers are unvaccinated.
“We’re thinking with every booster and every vaccinated person we see, hopefully, keeps them out of our center,” she said.
For more information on COVID-19 booster shots click here.
