ANAHEIM (CBSLA) Hundreds of cars lined up at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim on Wednesday for the opening of Orange County’s first super-vaccination site for vaccination.
A temporary COVID-19 vaccine super-site has been set up north of the Toy Story parking lot at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim, as seen on January 13th. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen / MediaNews Group / Orange County Register via Getty Images)
The iconic theme park hosts the first large-scale vaccination site in Orange County, where cars start jumping in at 5 p.m.
“I was able to make an appointment for today last night, so I think it got off to a good start,” said Rick Morlok, a resident of Trabuco Canyon.
However, countless managers were disappointed when they were turned away because they did not plan appointments in advance.
The Orange County Health Agency (HCA) reported that 10,000 people signed up for appointments Tuesday night. The site crashed shortly after it started live.
“We are working diligently to address technical issues that could cause this large influx of visitors,” the agency tweeted Wednesday morning.
Firefighters and paramedics from OC vaccinated 3,000 patients at the super site on Wednesday. Officials said the goal is to be able to do two and a half times as many people next week – if there are doses available for vaccination.
“I know people are excited to get the vaccine, which is exciting for me,” OC spokeswoman Molly Nichelson told CBSLA. “But at the same time, we can not allow them to stand in line and come down if they do not currently fit into Tier 1A and have not made a reservation.”
HCA noted that its three other vaccination sites were “overwhelmed” by people arriving without appointments.
“The province’s three existing distribution sites were overwhelmed by individuals without appointments today and effectively stopped the vaccination sites,” HCA wrote in a news release on Tuesday. ‘It is critical for people to understand that appointment slots are available based on the availability of vaccine. If you show up without an appointment, the system is stressed and scarce resources are depleted. ”
Disneyland will be one of five OCs vaccination sites. Oliver Chi, manager of Huntington Beach City, told Voice of OC last week that the other major vaccination centers will be located at Knott’s Berry Farm, the Orange County Fairgrounds, The Great Park and Soka University.
Also on Tuesday, OC health official, Dr. Clayton Chau, announced that anyone 65 years or older is now eligible to be vaccinated. This is in addition to health workers, emergencies and residents of skilled nursing and assistance facilities.
“The people in the ICU on fans are usually the crowd of 50 and older, and that’s definitely moving more to the 65 and older crowd,” Dr. Jim Keany told CBSLA on Tuesday with Mission Hospital Viejo. “If we continue to get vaccines, let’s lower the requirements and go through the population as quickly as possible.”
Click here to find out if you are eligible and to make an appointment.