Greensboro, North Carolina – The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to open a mass vaccination site in Greensboro next month capable of delivering up to 3,000 shots a day.
The COVID-19 Community Vaccination Center will open at the Four Seasons Town Center next to Interstate 40 on March 10 and will operate seven days a week for eight weeks. It is one of 18 massive sites that FEMA supports nationwide.
The federal government will provide the center’s vaccine supply, which will add to North Carolina’s weekly allocation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Thousands of North Carolinians will be able to access the vaccines as a result of this local, state and federal partnership,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement.
The site will have both a drive-thru option in the mall parking lot and a walk-in option at a former Dillard store.
To reach more marginalized and underserved communities, the main vaccination center will support additional mobile vaccination sites and clinics in communities in need in Guilford County and surrounding areas, officials said.
“This federally supported vaccine center will help North Carolina get more gunshots and help us reach communities with fewer services,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement.
FEMA and the CDC chose Guilford County for the vaccination site because several criteria showed it has significant marginalized or marginalized populations, officials said.
Appointments will be required for on-site vaccination and will be available through a central system and through community partners to ensure access among marginalized populations. Information on scheduling appointments will be released soon, officials said.
The site will be staffed by federal personnel, mostly from the Department of Defense. It will be supported with resources and staff from Guilford County, the state department of public safety, including the North Carolina National Guard, and the state department of health and human services.
Two FEMA mass vaccination sites opened this week in California on February 16 and three more in Texas and two in New York. Places in Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois are also planned.
