California’s Disneyland Resort has now opened as a ‘super’ COVID-19 vaccination site
A “super” COVID-19 vaccination site at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, opened Wednesday, CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS reported.
Orange County officials said earlier this week the resort will be one of several “super POD” — Point-of-Dispensing — sites where thousands of residents daily will be able to get vaccinated.
The site will soon be able to vaccinate more than 7,000 people daily, Andrew Do, acting chairman of the county’s board of supervisors, said during a news conference Wednesday.
On Monday, more than 10,000 people signed up to get vaccinated at the site, Do said.
“There’s no better place to have our first super POD than right here at Disneyland, a travel destination for people around the world,” Do said. “Today marks an important step in combating COVID-19 and reclaiming our lives and livelihoods.”
More “super POD sites” will be announced as agreements are finalized, officials previously said.
Mass-vaccination sites have opened or will soon open in other parts of California, including at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, San Diego’s Petco Park, and Sacramento’s Cal Expo.
Orange County has a population of about 3.1 million. More than 199,000 people there have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic’s start and more than 2,100 have died, according to county data.
About 2,180 people remain hospitalized with the virus, more than 500 of whom are in intensive care units.
The county is currently vaccinating people who fall under Phase 1a — critical and health care workers as well as people 75 years and older. Those who meet the criteria must schedule an appointment to be vaccinated at a Super POD site, the county said.
California officials also announced Wednesday the state was expanding vaccine eligibility to everyone 65 and older.
“It’s important to vaccinate as many willing people as possible for COVID-19, and we need the space to do it,” county Supervisor Donald P. Wagner said in a statement earlier this week. “I thank Disneyland Resort and the City of Anaheim for stepping up in the shared effort to give OC residents protection against the virus.”
