Orange County is launching its first large COVID-19 vaccination site at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim later this week, officials announced Monday.
The location is one of five in the county labeled as a “point-of-dispensing” site, or a “Super POD,” and each will have the capacity to vaccinate thousands of residents each day, county officials said in a news release.
“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 Chairman of the O.C. Board of Supervisors Andrew Do.
The county said it will announce the location of the other “Super PODs” as agreements are finalized. The intent is to increase efficiency and provide multiple vaccine distribution points throughout Orange County, officials said.
“Coronavirus has brought both a public health crisis and economic devastation,” said Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu in a written statement. “With this super site, we will begin to overcome both.”
Vaccine distribution in California is managed through a phased, tiered approach.
Most of those eligible to be vaccinated during the current phase will be contacted through their employer to schedule an appointment via a third-party app. Only those identified under Phase 1a who have an appointment will receive a vaccination at the county’s new vaccination locations.
The county said it aims to vaccinate all its residents by July 4.
Disney closed its parks in March as the pandemic started spreading throughout the U.S. While the Florida parks reopened in the summer, those in California have yet to reopen pending state and local government approval.
Parts of Downtown Disney have remained open, however, and the shopping district even expanded into California Adventure in November.
Meanwhile, the company announced in September that it would lay off 28,000 staff members in both states, with an additional 4,000 layoffs announced in November.
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccination process in O.C., visit the OC Health Care Agency’s website.