Newsroom

Newsroom

Cincinnati Museum Center and Cincinnati Children’s to team on COVID vaccine clinic for young kids

Free admission Dec. 29 for those vaccinated at Union Terminal

Monday, December 20, 2021

The Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) will team with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to vaccinate young children against COVID during a free clinic at Union Terminal on Wednesday, Dec. 29.

The clinic is geared to kids ages 5 to 11, but older kids and adults also may also receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at no charge. No appointment is necessary for the Dec. 29 clinic, which will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Admission to the Museum Center will be free to those vaccinated that day, and parking is free in the lots at 1301 Western Ave. In addition, Metro bus service is available to the Museum Center.

Flu shots will also be available Dec. 29 for kids and adults from medical providers with Cincinnati Children’s, who will administer the vaccines in a room off of the Rotunda.

Mayor-elect Aftab Pureval is to tour the clinic during the event to show his support and to encourage other parents to get their kids vaccinated.

Clinical trials at Cincinnati Children’s have demonstrated that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective for kids as well as adults, and the medical center has vaccinated thousands of young children since the vaccine was authorized for ages 5-11.

“Our community is continuing to push back against the COVID-19 pandemic, and vaccination remains the path to beating this virus,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president & CEO of the Cincinnati Museum Center. “We all have to do our part by getting the shot for ourselves, our families and our community. With a significant portion of our guests falling in that 5-11 age range, we’re excited to team with Cincinnati Children’s to protect our young guests and our community.”

Susan Wade-Murphy, RN, assistant vice president for Patient Services, who oversees COVID vaccination clinics at Cincinnati Children’s, said the Museum Center offers a great opportunity to reach kids enjoying their winter break who might have been too busy before to get vaccinated.

“Vaccinating them now will ensure they return to school protected while also giving them free entrance to the Museum Center,” Wade-Murphy said. “While our focus continues on kids, we want to reach anyone who is ready to receive the COVID vaccine – including parents, grandparents, and other community members. Our goal is to reach anyone visiting the Museum Center, and we are also conducting outreach to the nearby West End neighborhood.”

Wade-Murphy noted that along with the arrival of cold weather, the flu season has begun. “We are providing both flu and COVID vaccines in one setting, and you can choose one or both,” she said. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention fully approves getting both vaccines at the same time. It is perfectly safe and very efficient.”

As an added incentive, both CMC and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center are offering free museum admission through Jan. 31 to any child who shows proof of COVID vaccination.

CMC previously collaborated with a different hospital system to host two COVID vaccine clinics, one geared to adults and the other to adolescents. The Dec. 29 clinic will be the first at Union Terminal intended for younger children.