FEMA-backed vaccination site in NC will deliver up to 3,000 shots a day for 8 weeks

The COVID-19 Community Vaccination Center will open at Four Seasons Town Centre mall, off Interstate 40, on March 10 and operate seven days a week for eight weeks. It's one of 18 mass sites FEMA is backing nationwide.

The federal government will provide the center’s vaccine supply, which will be in addition to North Carolina’s weekly allotment from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Thousands of North Carolinians will be able to access vaccines as result of this local, state and federal partnership," Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement.

The site will have both a drive-thru option in the mall parking lot and a walk-in option in a former Dillard's department store.

To reach more marginalized and underserved communities, the main vaccination center will support additional sites and mobile vaccination clinics in communities of need in Guilford County and surrounding areas, officials said.

"This federally supported vaccine center will help North Carolina get more shots in arms and assist us in reaching more underserved communities," Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement.

North Carolina has administered more than 2.3 million shots to date, meaning almost 14 percent of people statewide have received at least one dose of the two-dose regimen, while 8 percent are fully vaccinated.

The nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation has ranked North Carolina No. 1 nationwide for vaccinating people ages 65 and up, at 49 percent. Florida ranks second at 45 percent, followed by Arizona, South Carolina and Ohio. Seventeen states don't even report how many seniors they've vaccinated.

FEMA and the CDC picked Guilford County for the vaccination site because a range of criteria showed it has significant underserved or marginalized populations, officials said.

Appointments will be required for vaccination at the site and will be available through a central system and through community partners to ensure access among marginalized populations. Information on scheduling appointments will be released soon, officials said.

The site will be staffed by federal personnel, mostly from the Department of Defense. It will be supported with resources and personnel from Guilford County, the state Department of Public Safety, including the North Carolina National Guard, and the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Two FEMA mass vaccination sites opened in California on Feb. 16, and three more in Texas and two in New York opened this week. Sites also are planned in Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois.