Southern California theme park fans may not be able to ride Space Mountain anytime soon but they might be able to say they got vaccinated at Disneyland.
The Anaheim resort, which has been closed for 10 months due to the high rate of coronavirus in the state, will serve as the first of five “Super PODs (point of dispensing)” – or mass vaccination sites, Orange County officials announced Monday. The park’s size will allow public health workers to administer thousands of vaccine shots per day.
“It’s important to vaccinate as many willing people as possible for COVID-19, and we need the space to do it,” said Orange County Third District Supervisor Donald P. Wagner. “I thank Disneyland Resort and the City of Anaheim for stepping up in the shared effort to give OC residents protection against the virus.”
According to its public health department’s website, Orange County is in the “Phase 1a, all tiers” stage of distribution. That means the vaccine is available to law enforcement, first responders, and others who work in high-risk settings such as nursing facilities and dentist’s offices. People over the age of 75 were recently added to this first group.
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The Disneyland vaccination site is expected to be up and running by the end of this week. Only those eligible to receive the vaccine as part of Phase 1a will be permitted to make an appointment for a Super POD site. They will be contacted through their employer and receive instructions on how to schedule an appointment via a third-party app developed in partnership with Orange County.
“Individuals with appointments must provide identification and documentation of vaccine eligibility at the site. Walk-ups without an appointment cannot be accommodated,” the Orange County Public Health Agency said in a press release. “Given the limited initial supply of the COVID-19 vaccine, distribution will be limited at first and increased over time. The phased, tiered approach to vaccine distribution aims to reach critical populations to reduce morbidity and mortality rates due to the transmission of COVID-19.”
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