The launch of the vaccine did not happen exactly at warp speed. So far, almost 9 million The Americans received a first dose of the COVID vaccine. If we want to move faster, we may need super-centers and non-stop immunizations to house the hundreds of millions of Americans who are still waiting to be vaccinated.
I wonder where it could go? Where might you be able to move thousands through a centralized, socially remote location? Where can hundreds of cars easily find parking spaces? What is always accessible by public transport? Sounds like your local stadium.
Just like November (and Georgia leaks), state governments and professional teams should do everything they can to provide vacant stadiums for public benefit. After all, we are the ones who pay for the stadiums financed from public funds. Why shouldn’t we be able to use them?
Well, it looks like we could start soon. Today, NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio announced a new mass vaccination site at Citi Field, a $ 830.6 million stadium paid for with $ 614.3 million in public money. Mets Stadium will be immunized thousands of New Yorkers a day. And it’s not just New York City. On Sunday night, the city of Los Angeles announced this Dodger Stadium vaccinations would begin this week. And two hours south, Petco Park will inoculate thousands at Padres Stadium.
G / O Media may receive a commission
There are vaccination sites at State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals) Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins) Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) Big house (University of Michigan Football) and more. In addition, Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium are expected to become vaccination sites for the first respondents in Massachusetts this week.
But in a nation with so many empty stadiums and publicly funded, more sports sites should start considering how they will help the community. The NFL has already done incentive teams to offer their home fields for vaccination sites and President-elect Joe Biden will do it it’s said includes sports stadiums in its vaccination plan, which is to be officially announced at Thursday. According to research conducted by Global Sport Matters at Arizona State University, majority from American sports arenas use at least one public assistance to pay for professional stadiums.
Wouldn’t it make sense if we, the public, should actually use it?