San Diego County leaders unveiled a new program Friday that will allow local establishments to host pop-up COVID-19 vaccine sites to make it more convenient for workers to get their shots.
Several businesses have already signed up to participate in the program, San Diego Regional Chamber President Jerry Sanders said in a news conference for the announcement. Signing up for the opportunity is simple and can be done online.
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“If you are an entity, whether you are business, a chamber of commerce or a religious institution, but you want to host a vaccine event, we now have the availability for you to apply to do that at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine,” San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher explained. “All you have to do is go to that website, click on the ‘host a vaccination event’ button, fill out the form and one of our team members will contact you to schedule a mobile vaccination team that will come to you.”
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The program was created to “make it more convenient to vaccinate employees” as the region works on administering as many vaccines as possible, a statement from Fletcher’s office said.
“I encourage all the chambers to provide these partnerships to your employers and employees,” said Alejandra Mier y Teran, Otay Mesa Regional Chamber Executive Director.
This new program is just the latest way the county is trying to make vaccines as widely available for any San Diegan who is interested in getting one. San Diego County has already expanded hours for a handful of vaccine sites to include evening shifts. It has also allowed several locations to accept walk-ins and has opened pop-up sites in busy areas.
“We know the vaccine is safe, we know it is effective, we also know it will not only save lives, but it will save our economy,” Fletcher said. “But, that’s only true if we continue to see widespread adoption and getting people fully vaccinated is how we restore our economy. It is how we get back our way of life.”
As of Friday morning, nearly 1.2 million eligible San Diego County residents were considered fully vaccinated, according to the county.
“Getting vaccinated is our way out of the pandemic and is key in getting back to normal and our businesses getting back to normal as soon as possible,” Sanders said.
Local establishments that are interested in hosting a pop-up vaccination site can click here to sign up.