Durham, NC – While Durham County leaders are looking for a place to host a series of mass vaccination events in the coming weeks and months, the Research Triangle Foundation would be “happy to be a host for this,” said President and CEO Scott Levitan.
Durham Public Health Director Rodney Jenkins said the state of North Carolina and Fidelity are close to reaching an agreement for a location, although neither party gave details on Tuesday. Fidelity has a large presence at Research Triangle Park, a location with easy access to the highway and plenty of space for a drive-through event.
“They needed a big space for real vaccines. They needed a recovery space. They needed parking. There was a desire to have easy access to I-40 so that they could serve various communities, ”said Levitan.
Duke Health will provide clinical support for the event once the logistics are resolved, a spokeswoman said.
“We are excited about the potential to work together to expand our vaccination capacity here in Durham with the opening of our first mass vaccination site,” said Jenkins. “We are still working on details like opening hours, scheduling appointments and other logistical considerations, but it is our goal to open to the public in the first weeks of February.”
The county said on Tuesday that a massive site would be able to vaccinate up to 17,000 people a week.
“We will do everything possible to expedite the installation and find a location that works for the county and the state,” said Levitan.
Health care provider OptumServe is exploring sites with Durham Public Schools in the hope of vaccinating about 1,100 people a day.
“I can’t wait. I would get paid today,” said Marjorie Strauss, a Durham resident. “The vaccine cannot come quickly enough.”
Rachel Sanders agreed.
“Durham is right in the middle,” she pointed out. “It’s good for Cary, for Chapel Hill.”
Lydia Chitwood, a resident of Chapel Hill, did not hesitate to make that trip.
“I would definitely be excited about a mass location and would definitely come to Durham if that were the case,” she said.
Coronavirus vaccinations in NC
