PNC Arena in Raleigh will soon be the host of a mass vaccination site in Wake County.
Wake County Public Health is working with hospital partners to launch the site at PNC Arena starting Thursday, Feb. 11, followed by another round of appointments on Saturday, Feb. 13.
The site will continue to operate in the coming weeks as vaccine allocations and partnerships allow.
PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State University Men’s Basketball, agreed to turn its 8,000-parking lot into an appointment-only, drive-thru vaccination clinic.
“As owners of PNC Arena, we are happy to work with our partners, Carolina Hurricanes and NC State University, to support the needs of our community when they are called upon,” said Thomas McCormick, Chairman of Centennial Authority.
McCormick called PNC Arena an asset to the community.
“We are proud to be a part of this community and recognize the heartbreaking impact this pandemic has had on so many of its citizens,” said Don Waddell, president of the Carolina Hurricanes and PNC Arena.
“PNC Arena has plenty of space to serve as a venue for mass vaccination, and we are committed to helping Wake County in its fight against COVID-19,” said Waddell.
The site begins next week with two days of vaccinations, with the aim of inviting more than 2,100 health workers and people over 65 from the growing COVID-19 vaccine waiting list.
That list has received more than 94,000 requests since mid-January. In the coming weeks, as state vaccine allotment grows, the 80-acre site has the capacity to scale quickly to accommodate multiple vaccination routes.
“The state delivered encouraging news to us last night – that Wake County Public Health would be receiving nearly 3,000 more doses than we initially expected, and we couldn’t be more grateful,” said Matt Calabria, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners.
“Thanks in part to the incredible coordination already underway between our community partners, we are ready to absorb these additional doses and deliver them safely and efficiently. This means more vaccinations and more lives saved, ”said Calabria.
Those who need help with registration or scheduling after being notified that they are eligible for an appointment can call the Wake County Public Health Vaccine Hotline 919-250-1515. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Wake County Public Health says it expects to send out invitations to waitlist members to sign up for appointment schedules as early as Friday evening.
Wake County leaders want to reiterate that appointments are needed to get a vaccination and vaccinations won’t be available without confirmation of a spot. They say this process is deliberately aimed at vaccinating people most at risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
Health workers and people over 65 (Group 1 and Group 2) will be notified by e-mail, SMS and telephone calls on Friday. If they receive an email or text notification, it will contain two links:
The first link is to sign up for the COVID Vaccine Management System or CVMS of the state of North Carolina. If you fill out this form completely, they can get to the fast track to the vaccination site.
The second link you will receive is to make an appointment to receive the vaccine. Printing appointment information or taking a screenshot on a smartphone speeds up the check-in process at the location.
Wake County Public Health says those getting their initial dose of vaccine at PNC Arena should be able to schedule their second dose appointment while on site.
Public transportation is available through GoRaleigh.
You can take Edwards Mill Bus 26 to the Edwards Mill Road stop on Trinity Road Northbound; or take Blue Ridge Bus 27 to the Blue Ridge Road stop on Westchase Boulevard Southbound.
The province will run a shuttle bus from that stop to the vaccination site and return the people to the bus stop after vaccination and observation. These shuttles run continuously.