At the back of a room about the size of two football fields, Mary Francis was sitting in a wheelchair, with her daughter at her side. Ahead, a giant clock marked the seconds while Francis waited for his observation period to end. Jazz from a music band floated in the air.
Francis, 66, had just received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, a mass vaccination site funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and administered by LCMC Health.
A giant clock marks the waiting time for people who wait to see if they have a reaction to the coronavirus vaccination at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Thursday, March 4, 2021. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
The Convention Center, which marked its official opening on Thursday, will deliver 3,500 or more doses a day if supplies are available, said Allison Guste, LCMC’s assistant vice president of clinical and operational excellence.
On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the site features doses from Johnson & Johnson. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of next week, they will switch to Pfizer.
Guiding people during coronavirus vaccination at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Thursday, March 4, 2021. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Most of the time, patients are not very picky about the injection. They are just happy to be there.
“It’s an absolute thrill and relief,” said Guste, a registered nurse who also helped administer injections.
Pfizer and Moderna have completed enrollment for studies of children from 12 years old.
Francis called the hotline the second it opened, Wednesday morning. With 15 grandchildren and six adult children, she is concerned. Two of his grandchildren caught the coronavirus, then a niece, who is a doctor, ended up on a respirator at the hospital.
“It will protect me and them,” she said.
Before, the vaccine that Francis received was prepared in a syringe behind a black curtain at the back of the Center, where a group of pharmaceutical technicians divided the liquid from glass vials. The site planned to distribute 900 doses on Thursday. Around 11am, they completed 450.
The vaccine itself occupies a tiny space in the huge room, in a small fridge with a transparent glass window. One-day doses can fit on one of the four shelves. In total, the small refrigerator could hold up to 7,000 doses from Pfizer or about 5,400 doses from Johnson & Johnson.
The Department of Health says the single-dose vaccine will be convenient for many people
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine can remain in the refrigerator for up to three months, but once the bottle is punctured, the five doses it contains should be administered within two hours. The Pfizer vaccine, on the other hand, can stay in a syringe for six hours, but it only stays in the refrigerator for five days.
Even with less than two-thirds of teachers in the area and school support staff indicating the desire to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the demand is still…
People with an appointment can park for free in parking lot F near Calliope Street. They can also take free transportation. The shuttle service from Duncan Plaza departs every 15 minutes. Buses from West Bank RTA Park and Ride and New Orleans East Walmart depart every 45 minutes.
They are received by volunteers who measure their temperatures. Patients can check in on one of the 40 iPads or check in for one person. Sixty chairs are lined up in the vaccination area, where patients receive the jab.
After receiving the vaccine, people sit in an area to see if they have a reaction to the coronavirus vaccination at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Thursday, March 4, 2021. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
“It’s comfortable,” said Diane Roy, 63, of the Convention Center created. “This is convenient. It is nice and clean and is not outside. “
Upon leaving, patients receive a yellow facial mask emblazoned with a smile. They are also gaining immunity to the virus, although it will not develop for a few weeks after receiving the vaccines.
Assistant physician Keona Shepard shows the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as she prepares to administer it at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center during the massive vaccination against coronavirus on Thursday, March 4, 2021. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
People who meet current eligibility conditions can register at lcmchealth.org/vaccine or call 504-290-5200 to register for an appointment.
Emily Woodruff covers public health for The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate as a member of Report For America.