Greensboro, NC – A mass vaccination site COVID-19 operated by FEMA opens in Greensboro on Wednesday morning. It is one of only 18 in the country.
The federally supported website at the Four Seasons Town Center is just off Interstate 40 and located close to the heart of the state. The site will start operating on Wednesday with the intention of vaccinating up to 3,000 people a day.
The volunteers ran a test on Tuesday, vaccinating 500 people, most of whom were frontline workers in Guilford County. Reservations are already full from Wednesday to Sunday.
Organizers said the clinic will run for eight weeks, so some people can receive their first and second doses at the same location. In the first three weeks, the first doses of Pfizer vaccines will be administered, and then patients can return for the second doses.
The clinic is working to obtain single-dose vaccines from Johnson & Johnson for the last two weeks of the event.
NC Director of Emergency Management Services, Mike Sprayberry, said the clinic’s goal is to reach as many people as possible.
“We are focused on stocks,” said Sprayberry. “This is the main thing for us. We really want to make sure that we are serving these populations that are historically under-served.”
Mandie Williford, of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said people will be watched for 15 to 30 minutes after being vaccinated before leaving. The second dose consultations will also be scheduled during the first consultation.
The site is administered in partnership with FEMA and has federal support, which means that the doses it distributes are additional to those destined for the state.
“These people from the Air Force, the National Guard and DOD partners are highly motivated,” said Sprayberry. “We are very grateful to have them here. We couldn’t be doing this without them.”
Kathy Bocock, a softball coach at Elon University, was one of the first to get the vaccine at the clinic and said her experience was positive.
“They were very organized and friendly there,” said Bocock. “It was very easy.”
The clinic will be open seven days a week, from 8 am to 8 pm. Authorities plan to release more consultations later this week.
Patients can get the vaccine through a drive-thru or enter the home. To make an appointment for the megasite, check the resource page of the Guilford County Vaccination Center.