The PNC Arena in Raleigh will soon host a mass vaccination site in Wake County.
Wake County Public Health is collaborating with hospital partners to launch the website at the PNC Arena starting Thursday, February 11, followed by another round of consultations on Saturday, February 13.
The site will continue to operate in the coming weeks, as vaccine and partnership allocations permit.
The PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State University men’s basketball, agreed to transform their 8,000-parking lot into a drive-thru vaccine clinic by appointment only.
“As owners of the PNC Arena, we are happy to work with our partners, Carolina Hurricanes and NC State University, to support the needs of our community when asked,” said Centennial Authority president Thomas McCormick.
McCormick called the PNC Arena a community asset.
“We are proud to be part of this community and recognize the devastating impact this pandemic has had on so many of its citizens,” said Don Waddell, president of Carolina Hurricanes and PNC Arena.
“The PNC Arena has ample space to serve as a mass vaccination site and we want to do everything we can to help Wake County in its fight against COVID-19,” said Waddell.
The site will begin with two days of vaccination next week, with the goal of inviting more than 2,100 health professionals and people 65 and older from the county’s growing COVID-19 vaccine waiting list.
That list has received more than 94,000 requests since mid-January. In the coming weeks, as state vaccine quotas increase, the 80-acre site will have the ability to expand rapidly to allow for multiple vaccination routes.
“The state gave us some encouraging news last night – that Wake County Public Health would receive nearly 3,000 more doses than we originally expected and we couldn’t be more grateful,” said Matt Calabria, chairman of the County Commissioners Council. Wake.
“Thanks in part to the incredible coordination that is already underway among our community partners, we are ready to receive these additional doses and administer them safely and efficiently. That means more vaccines and more lives saved, ”said Calabria.
Those who need help with registration or scheduling after being notified of eligibility for an appointment, can call the Wake County public health vaccine hotline 919-250-1515. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Wake County Public Health says it expects to send invitations to waitlist members to sign up for available hours Friday night.
Wake County leaders want to reiterate that appointments are mandatory to receive vaccination and vaccines will not be available without confirmation of a vacancy. They say that this process has the deliberate objective of vaccinating those most at risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
Healthcare professionals and those aged 65 and over (Group 1 and Group 2) will be notified by email, text and phone calls on Friday. If they receive an email or text notification, it will include two links:
The first link is to sign up for the North Carolina State’s COVID Vaccine Management System or CVMS. Completing this form completely will allow them to move quickly around the vaccine site.
The second link you will receive is to make an appointment to receive the vaccine. Printing appointment information or taking a screenshot on a smartphone will speed up the on-site check-in process.
Wake County Public Health says that those receiving the initial dose of the vaccine at PNC Arena should be able to schedule the second dose while they are on site.
Public transportation will be available via GoRaleigh.
You can take bus 26 from Edwards Mill to the stop at Edwards Mill Road on Trinity Road Northbound; or take the Blue Ridge Bus 27 to the Blue Ridge Road stop on Westchase Boulevard Southbound.
The municipality will operate a space shuttle from that stop to the vaccination site and return people to the bus stop after vaccination and observation. These buses will run continuously.