STAMFORD, Conn. — Construction on a new COVID-19 drive-thru vaccination site started Tuesday in Stamford.
Community Health Center, which leads the project, had a walk through as construction started Tuesday morning.
“We have delivered some container offices and then we are putting in some tresses that go in between the container offices that will protect the vaccinator from any precipitation,” said Community Health Center Regional Vice President Amy Taylor.
She said these wooden awnings called tresses, installed by TruNORTH Construction, will also have some heating units to keep people warm when they drive underneath to receive their vaccinations.
“It takes a little of the chill out of the air for the nurses, because a lot of them are volunteering and they’re gonna be out there for hours,” said Matt Powers, TruNORTH Construction owner.
Taylor said the facility will be similar to the drive-thru site that opened in East Hartford on the runway at Rentschler Field. However, instead, cars will loop through the parking lot outside Lord & Taylor’s where construction takes place at 110 High Ridge Rd. in Stamford.
The opening will happen in one to two weeks and is contingent upon staffing and availability of vaccines.
“We all are hearing about the national shortage of delivery of vaccines,” said Taylor. “Connecticut is impacted by that as well and so we need to make sure that all of our existing locations where we are currently doing vaccinations can be sustainable”.
Stamford Mayor David Martin said he wants 200,000 shots distributed in the city in 100 days.
“We just need more vaccine from the federal government to the state, here to the city of Stamford,” said Mayor Martin.
They anticipate vaccinating about 600 people a day. There will be six vaccination lanes.
Organizers said people 75 and older can make an appointment by calling 877-918-2224 for the Stamford site and as volume decreases people can make appointments online via the Vaccination Administration Management System.