Mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic opens in Stamford: we are fortunate to have one of only 3 in western CT so close to where most of us live.

STAMFORD Advocate February 4, 2021 — A mass drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic opened in the city Wednesday afternoon, and is expected to serve as many as 200 people a day, according to one official.

The Community Health Center, which has offices across the state, opened a drive-through clinic at noon in the parking lot of Lord & Taylor, 110 High Ridge Road. As of Thursday, it will be one of three mass vaccination clinics operated by the Community Health Center and the only one in Fairfield County. The other two are at the former Pratt & Whitney airport in East Hartford and at Wesleyan University in Middletown, which will open Thursday.

The clinic, which offers the Pfizer vaccine, is currently providing vaccines to workers classified under Phase 1a and individuals 75 and older in the Phase 1b category.

“Our hope is to help our community overcome challenges this pandemic has brought to us by getting the vaccine out in a safe and efficient way,” said Amy Taylor, regional vice president for the Community Health Center.

In addition to the mass vaccination site, the health center runs six regular vaccination clinics. Mass vaccination clinics typically get this designation because of their ability to serve a large number of patients at one time, though neither Taylor nor Leslie Gianelli, the center’s vice president of communications, could pinpoint a specific size or volume amount that designates a site as a “mass vaccination” clinic.

Even Department of Public Health spokesperson Maura Fitzgerald said she wasn’t aware of such a threshold.

“I’m not sure that there is a technical definition that distinguishes it,” Fitzgerald said.

However, Gianelli said, provided there is enough vaccine, the site should be able to serve up to 200 patients a day, and drive-through service is available.

“We can process quite a few vehicles in the course of an hour, in the course of a day,” she said.

Taylor echoed those thoughts: “People are staying in their cars and getting moved through the system at a high volume.”

“Our hope is to really provide an option for people to get the vaccine in a way that is very patient-centered and easy to use,” she added.

Those eligible who are looking to get vaccinated at the clinic must have an appointment. Appointments can be made through the VAMS or Connecticut’s 211 system.

The entrance for the clinic is at the North Long Ridge Road entrance. This week, vaccines will be offered Wednesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Starting Feb. 8, the clinic will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.