AT&T Stadium Could Be Used As COVID-19 Vaccination Site, Officials Say
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Ahead of Super Bowl weekend, the NFL is offering all 30 of its teams' stadiums as possible mass COVID-19 vaccination sites, including AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
In a letter NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent to President Joe Biden, he said the NFL is "committed to doing our part to ensure that vaccines are as widely accessible in our communities as possible."
Both the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers have already offered up their stadiums for this purpose.
"One of the real issues we have now is that we don't have enough vaccinations to use them," said Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams.
Williams says there are plans in place for both AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, with options for either drive-thru vaccinations or a more traditional walk-in clinic.
The Arlington Fire Department has already had success with the inside model, vaccinating 3,000 to 4,000 people a day at the Esports Stadium. They're ready to scale up that operation when their vaccine allocation increase.
The state is sending the department 7,000 doses next week.
Williams says they'd need about 20,000 doses a day to be able to use the stadiums as vaccination sites.
"We are hopeful that the manufacturers will really start turning out vaccines because we want to be ready, and we are," he said. "We have a plan there for when they do come. We're going to open up both of those stadiums and get those vaccines in people's arms as soon as possible."
The mayor says if they got enough of the vaccine, they'd be ready to open up the stadiums for distribution the next day.
Seven NFL stadiums, including NRG Park in Houston, have already been operating as vaccination sites.
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