Oakland Coliseum Mass Vaccination Site Closes After Administering More Than 500,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- After playing a crucial role in getting San Francisco Bay Area residents vaccinated against COVID-19, the mass vaccination site at the Oakland Coliseum will be shutting down operations Sunday after administering more than 500,000 doses.
The site -- one of the first in the nation run by a partnership between local and federal health officials -- opened in mid-February and at its peak was administering 6,000-8,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine per day.
"At its busiest point, there were 1,000 people working out there at the Coliseum, and that was most of the time from mid-February up until probably April, maybe even early May," Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority Executive Director Henry Gardner said Friday morning to the JPA's Board of Commissioners.
"So it was a beehive of activity and a very complex operation," he added.
Federal health officials pulled out on April 11 with local health officials taking over all operations. Since May 5, the site has been used to only administer second doses. Now, officials have determined it is time to focus their efforts elsewhere.
When the Coliseum launched in mid-February, vaccine supply was still limited. Now, with stable supplies of three safe and effective vaccines, more vaccination appointments are available than ever before.
"The Coliseum has been an essential part of a multi-pronged strategy to vaccinate Alameda County residents quickly," said Dr. Kathleen Clanon, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency's Medical Director and the County's lead on vaccine planning. "We could not have met the initial mass demand for vaccine without the Coliseum and the many local, state and federal agencies and volunteers who came together for a critical mission to vaccinate thousands of people daily against this deadly virus."
To date, over 18 percent of fully vaccinated Alameda County residents received their doses at the Coliseum or through the mobile units.
Over 55 percent of all doses administered were delivered to Alameda County residents and one of every six doses administered to Alameda County residents were administered at the Coliseum or the mobile units.
All Alameda County residents, 12 and older, are eligible and can access appointments by contacting their health care provider or visiting a local pharmacy (visit MyTurn.CA.GOV) or a County-supported Community Point of Dispensing (pre-registration is encouraged, but not required: call 510-208-4829 or visit bit.ly/AlCoSignUp).
