The PNC Arena car park will be filled next week, but not for a party or concert.
The venue will host the first vaccination clinic for the county’s first appointment.
You must be at least 65 years of age or older.
Don Waddell, CEO of Carolina Hurricanes, said that after seeing Charlotte organize a mass vaccination site at Bank of America Stadium, the PNC wanted to participate.
Wake County Public Health is partnering with hospital partners to launch the site at PNC Arena starting Thursday, Feb. 11, followed by another round of appointments on Saturday, Feb. 13.
The site will continue to operate in the coming weeks, as vaccine allocations and associations allow.
PNC Arena, home to the Carolina State Hurricanes men’s scales and NC State University, agreed to turn its 8,000-space parking lot into an appointment-only vaccine clinic.
“As owners of PNC Arena, we are excited to work with our partners, Carolina Hurricanes and NC State University, to support the needs of our community when asked,” said the President of the Authority. Centenarian, Thomas McCormick.
McCormick called PNC Arena a community good.
“We are proud to be a part of this community and recognize the heartbreaking impact of this pandemic for so many of its citizens,” said Don Waddell, president of the 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,” Waddell said.
The site will begin two days of vaccination next week, with the goal of inviting more than 2,100 health workers and people 65 and older to the county’s COVID-19 vaccine waiting list.
This list has received more than 94,000 applications since mid-January. In the coming weeks, as state vaccine allocations increase, the 80-acre site has the ability to scale rapidly to allow for multiple vaccination lanes.
“The state gave us encouraging news last night: 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 board of commissioners. of Wake County
“Thanks in part to the incredible coordination that is already underway among our community partners, we are prepared to take on these additional doses and administer them safely and efficiently. That means more vaccinations and more lives saved, ”Calabria said.
Those who need help registering or scheduling after being notified of eligibility for an appointment can call the Wake County Public Health Vaccine Hotline at 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 waiting list members to sign up for the appointment time slots before Friday night.
Wake County leaders want to reiterate mandatory appointments to receive a vaccine and vaccines will not be available without confirmation of a place. They say this process is deliberately aimed at vaccinating those most at risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
Healthcare workers and those over 65 (group 1 and group 2) will be notified by email, text messages and phone calls on Friday. If you receive an email or text notification, it will include two links:
The first link is to enroll in the COVID or CVMS Vaccine Management System in the State of North Carolina. If you complete this form completely, you will be able to move to the fast lane at 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 registration process.
Wake County Public Health says those receiving their initial dose of vaccine at the PNC Arena should be able to schedule the second dose appointment while they are on site.
Public transportation will be available through GoRaleigh.
You can take Edwards Mill Bus 26 to the Edwards Mill Road stop on Trinity Road heading north; or take Blue Ridge Bus 27 to the Blue Ridge Road stop on Westchase Boulevard Southbound.
The county will run a shuttle from this stop to the vaccination site and return people to the bus stop after vaccination and observation. These shuttles will run continuously.