Here’s what you need to know about getting a COVID vaccine at your favorite brewery

Hannah Smoot
·3 min read

This story was updated on Friday, April 23, to reflect a new day and time for an event at Town Brewing Company.

As vaccine supply in Mecklenburg County climbs, vaccine providers are making it easier than ever to get a vaccine — that includes bringing vaccines to pop-up events at Charlotte breweries.

Atrium Health hosted a vaccine pop-up at NoDa Brewing Company’s North End taproom Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. with 200 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, according to the brewery. Anyone (21 or older) who got a vaccine onsite also got a $5 gift certificate, NoDa Brewing said.

StarMed Healthcare, the county’s vaccination partner at Bojangles Coliseum, tweeted Thursday that it would bring COVID-19 vaccines to Town Brewing Company starting Sunday from 12-5 p.m.. Everyone who gets a vaccine onsite will get a ticket for a free beer from StarMed, the company said on Twitter.

Mecklenburg County Public Health has plans to bring vaccines to local bars and breweries too, Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris told reporters this week. A list of locations or dates for the pop-up clinics have not yet been announced.

Plus, Brewers at 4001 Yancey hosted a walk-in vaccination pop-up this week, offering 150 Pfizer shots through VaxClinic.

More than one-third of Mecklenburg County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday, according to state Department of Health and Human Services data.

Atrium Health was hosting a vaccine pop-up at NoDa Brewing Company’s North End taproom Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Atrium Health was hosting a vaccine pop-up at NoDa Brewing Company’s North End taproom Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

But Charlotte-area health experts worry that vaccine supply locally has begun to outpace demand. That’s one reason vaccine providers are working to make it as easy as possible to get them, Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest said Tuesday.

Here’s what you need to know about getting a vaccine at one of the brewery pop-ups.

Do I need an appointment?

No. The coronavirus vaccines are being offered at pop-ups across Charlotte without appointments. Walk-ins are welcome.

How much do the vaccines cost?

Nothing. All of the COVID-19 vaccines are offered at no cost to the recipient.

What vaccine will be offered?

Many providers are offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at local pop-ups, including at the NoDa Brewing Company Thursday pop-up, and also did so at a Mecklenburg County pop-up at Camp Northend last weekend.

The county originally planned to provide the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at that event, but instead offered the Pfizer vaccine after following federal recommendations to stop using the Johnson & Johnson vaccines temporarily.

COVID-19 vaccine supply is rising quickly in the Charlotte area.
COVID-19 vaccine supply is rising quickly in the Charlotte area.

Do I need to get a second dose?

If you get either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, yes, you’ll need to get a second dose of the vaccine. The Pfizer second dose is given three weeks after the first, and the Moderna second dose is given four weeks after the first.

Do I have to return to the same place for my second dose?

No, not for Mecklenburg County Public Health events, according to Harris.

“We have sufficient vaccine at this point that people are not necessarily required to come back to the same location for their second dose, they just need to access it,” Harris said. “…They just need to make sure they are getting the right vaccine.”

That means anyone who got the Moderna or Pfizer first dose should make sure that they get the same vaccine for their second dose, Harris said.

For Atrium Health pop-ups, second dose appointments will be scheduled during the first dose appointment.