The Greenbelt Metro Community Vaccination Center (CVC) reached 50,000 administered Covid-19 vaccine doses on Monday, April 26. The milestone came and went as the staff kept moving thousands of people through.
“We are doing roughly 3,000 doses a day for this location,” said Deputy Site Manager Dave Zarnick. “The intent behind this location was to ensure that all populations have access to a vaccine and that there’s no one left behind.”
The CVC trained the U.S. Air Force medical providers who are on-site administering vaccinations. There are currently over 250 staff but the number fluctuates as volunteers sometimes come to help. The process includes an information screening, the actual vaccination and an observation area where visitors rest for 15 minutes after being vaccinated. The entire process takes about 30 minutes.
“Once they go through the process, the feedback that we’re getting from the citizens is that it’s been very smooth,” Zarnick said. “And that they didn’t realize how quick it was to actually get a vaccine.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is funding and operating the center. Vaccine equity is at the core of its effort. “An individual who wants a vaccine will get a vaccine and this location has been successful in doing that,” Zarnick said. “Individuals will come from an apartment complex and come with their neighbors to get a vaccine.”
The CVC may have extra doses available for walk-ups, according to Public Affairs Specialist Aissha Flores.
Upon arrival, visitors can speak with a staff member who can help them register and start the process. There are wheelchairs available and translators for several languages, including ASL.
Zarnick said one of the CVC’s priorities is spreading the vaccination message around to people of the local community. “We’ve gone out to the local businesses in the surrounding area, passed out flyers to advertise,” he said.
FEMA is also reaching out to communities within Prince George’s County, offering to provide speakers at local meetings or events through its Speakers Bureau Program. This program provides face-to-face dialog, in person or virtually, with a local group, organization, community or business to explain details about the vaccination process, different sites and how to register.
The program prioritizes populations in Prince George’s County that have higher numbers of social vulnerabilities as identified by the Census Bureau.
FEMA offers this personal connection as a way for communities to have their questions answered and to build trustworthy relationships with residents.
There are currently six county-operated vaccination sites. According to the Prince George’s Covid-19 Dashboard, the sites have contributed to more than 500,000 vaccine doses provided so far. The County Board of Public Health reported that as of April 23, 42.6 percent of residents ages 16 and over have received at least one vaccine dose. There are, according to Prince George’s County Board of Public Health spokesperson George
Lettis, an estimated 728,050 residents ages 16 and older.
“Our goal is to have 473,232 residents vaccinated by this summer, or 65 percent of this population and 80 percent by this fall,” Lettis said. “We are now at 65.5 percent of our summer goal. Last week we were at 57.6 percent.”
The Greenbelt CVC is located at the Greenbelt Metro Station, 5717 Greenbelt Metro Drive, parking lot 1A. People ages 16 and older now are eligible for the vaccine. Register on the Maryland GoVax website or phone app. While the vaccination site will not be at the Metro indefinitely, the actual end date is not yet known. “As of now, we’re still working on the end date,” said Flores on April 27.
Glory Ngwe is a University of Maryland journalism student writing for the News Review.
