A Mickey Mouse Operation: Disneyland Reopens, but Only as a California Mass Vaccination Site
Disneyland is opening this week, but not to make your dreams come true. Well, unless you dream of mass vaccination sites.
What was once the happiest place on Earth is now home to Orange County’s first mass vaccination site for COVID-19. Disneyland had been closed since last March due to the pandemic. Disneyland is located in Anaheim, California.
The point-of-dispensing site, classified as a “Super POD,” has the capacity to vaccinate thousands of people each day, which is something the state desperately needs. As of now, California is 43rd out of 50 states in terms of the number of people vaccinated per 100,000 residents, which isn’t good, especially considering California has become a disease hotspot in the past few weeks.
“The Disneyland Resort, the largest employer in the heart of Orange County, has stepped up to host the county’s first Super POD site—undertaking a monumental task in our vaccination distribution process,” said Andrew Do, acting chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, who announced the news in a statement.
Currently, the Disneyland vaccines are only available to individuals who qualify based on California’s tiered vaccination plan. Orange County hopes to complete all its vaccinations by July 4, 2021.
“Coronavirus has brought both a public health crisis and economic devastation,” said Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu in the announcement. “With this super site, we will begin to overcome both. Every vaccination done in Anaheim will help to save lives and speed the reopening and recovery of our city.”
“Disneyland Resort is proud to help support Orange County and the City of Anaheim with the use of our property, and we are grateful for all of their efforts to combat COVID-19. After a year in which so many in our community have faced unprecedented hardship and uncertainty, there is now reason for optimism with the administration of a vaccine,” said Dr. Pamela Hymel who is the chief medical officer for Disney Parks, experiences and products.
Other mass vaccination centers are popping up around California in places like Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Cal Expo in Sacramento, and Petco Park in San Diego.
Visitors won’t be able to ride the Matterhorn, but they will be protected against a deadly disease, and that is a little bit of magic.