San Rafael, CA – As Marin County’s count of fully immunized people continues to rise and more COVID-19 vaccine sites materialize, Marin County Public Health closed two of its three stationary mass vaccination sites on May 28. The shift from mass vaccination sites, also called points of dispensing sites, or “PODs”, to mobile clinics is part of the County’s plan to reach people who have experienced barriers in vaccine access and help distribute life-saving shots equitably and conveniently across the county.
The two sites are in San Rafael at the Marin County Fairgrounds (Marin Center POD) and the Marin Health and Wellness Center (Kerner POD) in the Canal neighborhood. Both have been operating since December 2020 and served as the County’s primary vaccination sites while vaccine demand was highest, allowing public health teams to vaccinate up to 2,500 people per day with maximum efficiency.
Heading into the final days, the two locations combined have distributed nearly 120,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to nearly 65,000 people. The Marin Center POD alone delivered more than 98,000 shots, which accounts for more than a quarter of all shots delivered to Marin residents thus far in the vaccination campaign. Kaiser Permanente joined forced with Marin County to administer vaccines for their members directly at Marin Center POD in April. The Kerner location was instrumental in advancing vaccination rates among LatinX residents in the Canal and across the county. The two sites are contributors to Marin’s status as the mostly highly vaccinated county in the state, and being among the most vaccinated counties in America, according to recent reports.
The staff at mass vaccination sites occasionally numbered as high as 150 per day. Staff did what they could to brighten the mood and make visitors feel welcome at both locations. On Aloha Fridays, ukulele players and hula dancers induced smiles. Marin Center’s Exhibit Hall was adorned with twinkle lights hanging from the rafters and decked out with other decorations.
“We modified the layout several times and did everything we could to make it a quick and convenient visit for people getting their shots,” said Dick Daley, manager of the Marin Center POD. “It was important to keep spirits up, not just for the folks coming in but for the staff.”
Both POD staffs were populated with disaster service workers (DSWs) – employees of the County of Marin and other government agencies who were temporarily reassigned from their regular jobs to help with the emergency – in addition to volunteers and partners from other non-government organizations. In addition to on-site staffing, partners and volunteers assisted with making appointments, arranging transportation, and fulfilling other needs to connect a person with a vaccine.
The County of Marin is indebted to the partners that made these two locations a success. Those include:
- Barbier Security
- Canal Alliance
- Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
- Favorite Healthcare Staffing
- Golden Gate Transit
- Kaiser Permanente
- Marin City Health and Wellness Clinic
- Marin Community Clinics
- Marin County Office of Education
- Marin Medical Reserve Corps (MMRC)
- MarinHealth
- Maxim Health
- North Marin Community Services
- Praetorian Security
- Ritter Center
- Shiftsmart
- SMART
- Sutter Health
- Vivalon
This list is in addition to countless other partners and volunteers.
“The vaccination numbers speak for themselves. What’s behind those numbers is even more inspiring-- the stamina, dedication, and countless extra hours from all of our partners providing vaccinations,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin’s Public Health Officer. “We’re also grateful to those who came in for vaccinations, because each dose brings us closer to the end of this pandemic.”
Staffing from the two POD sites will be transitioned to support mobile vaccination clinics that are scheduled to continue through the summer.
Now that vaccine supply has caught up with demand, getting vaccinated is easier than ever. In areas where mass vaccination sites are closing, there will still be multiple vaccine providers nearby that will continue to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. People can visit the Vaccine Finder online at GetVaccinatedMarin.org to identify a drop-in site or to schedule an appointment. Alternatively, people can call the California COVID-19 Hotline at (833) 422-4255 to get help making a vaccination appointment. Language assistance is available.