Originally posted on The Middletown Press
A mass COVID-19 vaccination site will open Thursday at the Danbury Fair mall — the first of its kind in the area, and the fourth in the state, according to the Community Health Center Inc. (CHC), which will be running the site.
The other CHC mass vaccination sites are located in East Hartford, Middletown, and Stamford.
“We know that there’s a real need in the Danbury region for more appointments to be made available for people so we wanted to work quickly to get this site up and running at the mall as fast as possible,” said Leslie Gianelli, vice president of communications for CHC.
The drive-through site, which will be open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on its first day, will have six lanes where cars can drive up and receive a Moderna shot. After Thursday, the site will be active on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., taking 600 appointments every day, according to Gianelli. The site will be manned by CHC staff, volunteers and the national guard.
Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo said he is excited about the site. Appointments will be available to anyone eligible in the state.
“It’s going to be a great thing for us here in the Danbury region—the ability to vaccinate so many people a day compared to what our abilities have been up to this point,” he said. “It’s going to be a game changer for us.”
Gianelli also said that there has been good response to the drive-through vaccination process, and that it has proven efficient and prevents people having to stand in line.
Appointments for Thursday and for several weeks into the future have already been made available on the federal Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) and through United Way 211 lines, and will continue to be added in the future, said Gianelli.
Vaccinations will also take place on Saturday, March 13, and on March 20 and 21. Gianelli said they hope to open on weekends going forward but that it will be contingent on staffing.
To get this site approved and ready to vaccinate the masses, CHC has been working closely with Danbury and state officials.
“This is going to make vaccines more available — thousands of appointments will be available weekly to the people of Danbury and the region,” Gianelli said. “We’re just very hopeful that it will make it easier for people.”