LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Broadbent Arena in Louisville will become a mass vaccination site, according to Louisville Metro Government.
Louisville Metro Interim Medical Director Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage said Tuesday morning the Broadbent Arena, located on the grounds of the Kentucky Expo Center, will start offering drive-through vaccinations beginning next Monday.
"Initially it will be for healthcare workers and for our EMTs and medical first responders," she said.
Hartlage said the site will be run by more than 200 volunteers and Metro staff. While the site will not be able to give out a ton of vaccines at first, Hartlage said it will ramp up over the next few weeks to where it will be able to give 1,000 to 1,200 doses each day.
While the focus in Phase 1a of the vaccine rollout is on healthcare workers, medical first responders and long-term care residents, Hartlage said the next group of people eligible for the vaccine may not have to wait too much longer, with some possibly being able to get their doses by late January.
Under the state's rollout plan, the next group of people in Phase 1b are those 70 and older, non-medical first responders like police and fire departments, and teachers and school staff.
In a statement, AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond called on states to prioritize older Americans in receiving the vaccine.
"More than 333,000 American lives now have been lost due to COVID, and nearly 95% of those who have died were age 50 or over," LeaMond wrote. "Some 40% have been residents and staff in nursing homes. With remarkable speed, vaccines have been developed, and continue to be developed, and now it’s time to put them to good use. AARP is fighting for older Americans to be prioritized in getting COVID-19 vaccines because the science has clearly shown that older people are at higher risk of death."
"That group accounts for the largest proportion of deaths in Kentucky," Hartlage said. "They are at the highest risk for severe infection and hospitalization."
School staff eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1b also include those working in food services, custodians and bus drivers.
"I've been in close communication with JCPS leaders and also with the Archdiocese," Hartlage said. "We've also been communicating with our independent private schools so no one is going to be left out."
JCPS Director of Communications Renee Murphy said JCPS has been working with the health department as it prepares for drive-through vaccinations. She said school staff have completed surveys letting the district know of their interest in receiving the vaccine.
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