vaccine
A half-dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine initially could mean we have double the number doses available when it's approved by regulators.
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  • Disneyland Resort, a New Jersey mall, convention centers, and sports stadiums are opening their doors to the public as mass vaccination sites.
  • Here are some of the locations across the country that are shifting their focus and opening up for the public-health effort. 
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Sports stadiums, malls, and amusement parks are taking on a new role amid the COVID-19 pandemic – they’re transforming into mass vaccination sites to help in states’ efforts to distribute the life-saving coronavirus vaccines to as many people as possible. 

Many sites have already opened and begun distributing thousands of doses per day. Other venues are still in the works as they prepare to take on the new challenge. 

Though these new efforts are underway, Operation Warp Speed, which is the Trump administration’s vaccination plan, is facing a slower-than-expected rollout. And just as states were preparing to receive more doses, the Washington Post reported the federal government doesn’t have a reserve of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. New York City’s mayor said today it would run out of doses by next week. 

Among the mass vaccination sites where people have begun receiving the vaccines, which were approved in mid-December, are Disneyland resort, a New Jersey Mall, and Gillette Stadium. Here are 15 of the sites taking part in the effort.

1. DisneyLand Resort 

disneyland
Disneyland Resort. David McNew/Getty Images
David McNew/Getty Images

The California-based theme park has been closed since March, but has re-opened its doors, so thousands of Southern Californians can get their COVID-19 shots. It’s the first “super point-of-dispensing” site in Orange County, California, government officials said

2. Citi Field

citi field
A general view of the Citi Field stadium. G Fiume/Getty Images
G Fiume/Getty Images

The New York Mets' Citi Field Stadium will transform into a "mega" vaccination site, providing between 5,000 and 7,000 shots per day, by the end of January.

3. Arizona Cardinals Stadium

big red.JPG
Big Red of the Arizona Cardinals. REUTERS/Darryl Webb
REUTERS/Darryl Webb

State Farm's Arizona Cardinals Stadium opened as the state's first mass vaccination site, giving doses to 4,000 people on its first day in operation and booking tens of thousands of more appointments, AZ Family reported.

4. Rockaway Townsquare Mall in New Jersey

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The registration area of the Townsquare Mall in Rockaway, New Jersey on January 8, 2021. KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images
KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

The 30,000 square-foot facility at the Townsquare Mall in Rockaway, New Jersey, opened earlier this month along with the Rowan College of South Jersey - the first two of six mass vaccination sites that will open in the state. Soon, 2,400 people per day will receive the vaccine in the state once the shot becomes available to the general public in Phase 2, according to a Jan. 8 report from ABC7

5. Malcolm X College in Chicago

Malcolm X College
The new Malcolm X College on January 30, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.
Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Chicago has opened up six mass vaccination sites at colleges across the city, according to a report from WGN9 News. Along with Malcolm X College, Arturo Velasquez Institute, Richard J. Daley College, Olive-Harvey College, Kennedy-King College, and Harry S Truman College, have also joined the effort as mass point-of-dispensing sites. 

6. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City

Jatvis Convention Center
Exterior of the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, United States, on March 21, 2020. John Lamparski/NurPhoto
John Lamparski/NurPhoto via Getty Image

The Javits Center, once operating as a COVID-19 treatment facility, opened its doors Wednesday as a vaccination center, according to the website. The Westchester County Center and New York State Fair Expo Center in Syracuse opened the same day, with the State University of New York in Albany and a site at Jones Beach also opening this week. More mass vaccination sites will be announced in the coming days.  

7. Pier 2 cruise ship terminal in Oahu

honolulu hawaii hanauma bay oahu
Honolulu, Hawaii Hanauma Bay. Caleb Jones/AP
Caleb Jones/AP

Pier 2, a cruise ship terminal in Oahu, Hawaii, opened as a mass vaccination site on Wednesday, Hawaii News Now reported. Another site, the Neal Blaisdell Center, in downtown Honolulu, is set to open as well.

8. Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts

Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium
Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

On Tuesday, Massachussetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the opening of the state's first mass vaccination site at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, where the New England Patriots play. The site will begin administering 300 vaccines per day, with a goal of reaching 5,000 per day over time. First responders will be first up to receive the vaccine here, followed later by other eligible individuals.  The state said it's working to establish more large vaccination sites. 

9. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Pennsylvania

Amusement park water slides.
Amusement park water slides.
Gary Burke / Contributor

The Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Pennsylvania will soon transform into a mass vaccination site. Lehigh Valley Health Network, which has set up tents at the site, said it hopes to vaccinate as many as 5,000 people per day at the amusement park once the state approves the location and receives more doses, the health network said

10. The "Pit" in Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Lobos stadium
The Pit where the University of New Mexico's Lobos play.
Aaron Sweet/Getty Images

The "Pit" stadium, where the University of New Mexico's Lobos basketball team plays, will become a mass vaccination site on Jan. 20, with officials estimating the site will be able to administer more than 3,000 vaccines per day, UNM health officials said in a statement

11. Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas

GettyImages 904745
The Astros stadium in front of the Houston skyline.
Paul S. Howell/Getty Images

The Houston Health Department said it is opening Minute Maid Stadium, where the Houston Astros play, on Saturday to vaccinate thousands of people. The department said it plans to administer vaccinations to about 5,000 eligible patients.

12. Jerome Schottenstein Center at Ohio State

GettyImages 1218850484
Value City Arena.
Justin Casterline/Getty Images

The Ohio State University's Jerome Schottenstein Center, also known as Value City Arena, will become a mass vaccination site used by the university's medical center. The new location will be able to provide more than 3,000 vaccines per day, the university said. 

13. TCF Center in Detroit

detroit
The Detroit River along the Detroit, Michigan, skyline. Elaine Cromie/Getty Images
Elaine Cromie/Getty Images

This week, Detroit's TCF Center started distributing vaccinations and booking appointments as the area's mass vaccination site.

14. Mercedes Benz Arena in Atlanta

Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Danny Karnik/AP
Danny Karnik/AP

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, has become a mass vaccination site for the city, partnering with the Fulton County Board of Health to distribute 4,000 doses in its first week of operation, the stadium said in a statement.

15. The Virginia Beach Convention Center

virginia beach virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ritu Manoj Jethani/Shutterstock
Shutterstock/Ritu Manoj Jethani

The Virginia Beach Convention Center has become the city's primary mass vaccination location, Wavy.com reported. This week, the center administered almost 1,000 doses per day. 

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