UC San Diego Health, San Diego County and the Padres are teaming up to vaccinate at least 5,000 healthcare workers per day against the novel coronavirus, starting Monday.
Those partners, along with the City of San Diego, will run the "Vaccination Super Station" near Petco Park in an effort to safely vaccinate the 500,000 healthcare workers in the region eligible for Phase 1A-Tier categories on California's vaccine priority list.
"The Vaccination Super Station increases our ability as a county to administer the vaccine to healthcare workers," said San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher.
"A large number of vaccinations are being done by health systems, by the VA, by DOD, by pharmacies, and so it is a very fragmented, disjointed nature. There hasn't been one place that someone could just go and say 'I'm a health care worker, I can't get it, where do I go?' And so we want to do that," he said at a press conference Sunday.
The decision to begin a large-scale vaccination site was made Thursday and comes as hospitals throughout the county are bracing for a post-New Year's Eve surge in infections that will challenge the region's ability to care for COVID patients.
The county previously established four point-of-dispensing sites across the region that were administering hundreds of vaccines to healthcare workers daily, and those sites will continue to operate.
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Starting Monday, the Super Station will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week for healthcare workers. Vaccines will only be administered to healthcare workers who have made an appointment online at www.VaccinationSuperStationSD.com.
The vaccination site is located at the Padres-controlled Tailgate Lot, a space located on Imperial Avenue near Petco Park. Healthcare workers will be required to present proof they are healthcare workers when they arrive onsite. Healthcare workers will be able to stay in their vehicle to receive the vaccine and will remain on site for 15 minutes to be monitored for any side effects.
"Ending this pandemic requires using every tool available, from masking to testing to vaccinations," said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla. "The expanded effort to vaccinate more people more quickly requires the close collaboration of multiple partners — UC San Diego Health, the county, the Padres and others. This partnership's unique combination of leadership, resources, expertise and logistics will bring optimal public health results for the benefit of everyone in San Diego County."
Fletcher said the county hopes to eventually replicate the supersized vaccination site model across the county. No timetable has been set, but he said if the model proves effective, and more doses of the vaccine become available and individuals designated for Tier 2 and Tier 3 are eligible, having the Super Station model will be vital to distributing the vaccine to more people in a fast, safe environment.
"The rapid buildout and staffing of a major COVID-19 vaccine hub at Petco Park is a massive undertaking, and it would not be possible without our partners at the county and the Padres," said Patty Maysent, CEO of UCSD Health. "We are extremely proud of San Diego for coming together during this crisis, leveraging the innovation and collaboration for which our region is known to support the health and safety of the entire community."
The city will provide traffic control services and security from the San Diego Police Department.
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"Petco Park is more than a ballpark, and we are honored to help the San Diego community by providing the needed space and operational support to the county for their critical COVID-19 vaccination efforts," said Erik Greupner, the Padres' president of business operations.
"For those of you that are in future phases of the vaccination process, get ready," said Mayor Todd Gloria at a press conference Sunday. "Find out where you're at, avail yourself of the knowledge so that when your time is here that you can get vaccinated as quickly as possible."
San Diego County administered its first COVID-19 vaccines on Dec. 16.
Tips for healthcare workers making an appointment:
— healthcare workers are encouraged to first contact their healthcare providers to request the vaccine, then make an appointment;
— do not schedule an appointment if you have COVID-19 or are sick;
— wear a mask; and
— forms of proof to be presented at the site include: employee ID badge with a photo or other documents, signed letter from their employer on facility letterhead and a photo ID or a payment stub or timesheet from their healthcare employer or in-home supportive services with a photo ID.
