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Eight unusual places being used as COVID-19 vaccination centres

by Sonia Elks | @SoniaElks | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Friday, 22 January 2021 17:29 GMT

People wear protective masks at the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination centre inside the Salisbury Cathedral, in Salisbury, Britain January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Paul Childs

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From a cathedral to a water park, here are some of the more quirky spots being used to roll out mass vaccine campaigns globally

By Sonia Elks

LONDON, Jan 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As countries around the world roll out mass COVID-19 vaccination programmes, large public spaces from ice rinks to cathedrals are being repurposed as makeshift inoculation hubs.

Here are eight of the more usual venues being used to host vaccination facilities:

1. A cathedral: The 800-year-old Salisbury Cathedral is one of several British cathedrals to open as a vaccination centre. Those awaiting their shot can enjoy organ music to calm any last-minute nerves.

2. Disneyland: California officials have taken over a parking lot at the Anaheim resort as a super-site with the capacity to vaccinate some 3,000 people per day.

People wait in line in a Disneyland parking lot to receive a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 at a mass vaccination site during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Anaheim, California, U.S., January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

3. An airport: Thousands of flight attendants and other airline workers in Singapore are being vaccinated at a centre in terminal four of the city-state's Changi Airport.

4. An ice rink: Berlin's Erika-Hess ice stadium is among the first mass vaccine delivery sites to open in the German capital, with others planned at a velodrome and a disused airport.

Police guards a vaccination centre temporarily set up at the Erika-Hess ice stadium, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany, January 14, 2021. Kay Nietfeld/Pool via REUTERS

5. A racecourse: Known for hosting "the Derby" summer horse racing event, Epsom Downs racecourse in south England has been turned into one of the country's temporary immunisation centres.

6. A baseball park: Home of the New York Mets, Citi Field will host a mega-vaccination site, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, with the capacity to vaccinate up to 7,000 fans - or rivals - per day.

A general view inside the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination centre in the Salisbury Cathedral, in Salisbury, Britain January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Paul Childs

7. A convention centre: With conferences on hold, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Canada has been converted into a vaccine hub, though it was forced to pause activity this week due to a shortage of doses.

8. A water park: The Time Capsule Waterpark in Scotland is among the country's more quirky vaccination venues, which also include churches, schools and community halls.

Sources: NHS England, English Cathedrals, County of Orange Health Care Agency, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Berlin.de official website, City of New York official website, City of Toronto, Scottish Government.

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Vatican starts vaccinating Rome's homeless against COVID-19 (trust.org)

(Reporting by Sonia Elks @soniaelks; Editing by Helen Popper. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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