Red Rocks Amphitheatre offers COVID-19 vaccine at its events

In a bid to encourage punters to vaccinate themselves against COVID-19, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado will offer patrons free doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

9News reports that Red Rocks staff, in partnership with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, will dispense 100 doses of the vaccine to concertgoers at its upcoming events, with the initiative starting yesterday at a show headlined by EDM stalwart Diplo.

The jabs are being handed out on a first come, first serve basis, and those who take advantage of the offer will also receive a voucher for concessions and a t-shirt commemorating Red Rocks’ 80th anniversary.

“The entertainment industry only works when people are able to gather together, and a healthy audience is vitally important at Red Rocks,” said Red Rocks spokesperson Brian Kitts. “We’re making it easy to come to a concert and leave knowing that our fans have protected themselves, their families and their fellow music lovers.”

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one of three COVID-19 vaccines approved in the US, alongside those from Pfizer and Moderna. At the time of writing, approximately 265million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (brands disregarded) have been dispensed in the United States.

According to the New York Times, there has been an estimated total of 32.9million cases of COVID-19 in the US since it was first reported, and 584,000 deaths.

Though cases certainly aren’t as rampant as they were in the later months of 2020, the global coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the entertainment industry. In the UK, the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has warned MPs that 75 percent of the nation’s nightlife venues face bankruptcy without government assistance.

Earlier in May, a survey found that 75 percent of punters were happy to return to live music events if they sported COVID-safe certifications.

Several high-profile figures in the music and art worlds have urged their fans to get vaccinated, such as Demi Lovato, Annie Lennox and Britney Spears.

To that extent, country music icon Dolly Parton actually helped fund Moderna’s development of their COVID vaccine, donating £716,000 ($1million USD) to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University medical centre.

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