SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- UC San Diego is opening a large-scale coronavirus vaccination site on campus next week, where it will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to UC San Diego Health patients and campus faculty and staff.
The vaccination super station will open on the university's campus on Feb. 8 at the RIMAC Arena. The school says it will initially focus on vaccinating eligible UC San Diego Health patients and eligible UC San Diego faculty and staff only.
The site will be operated by UC San Diego Health and will be able to provide 5,000 daily vaccinations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. once it's fully operational. Vaccines will only be administered by invitation through the MyUCSDChart application and an online appointment.
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"Widespread deployment of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines is one of our most powerful tools for ending the current pandemic. Adding a vaccination center on the UC San Diego campus allows us to expand outreach and vaccinate more people more quickly, while working within the current tier structure," said UC San Diego Health CEO Patty Maysent.
Unlike the Petco Park super station the county has partnered with UCSD to operate, the university's on campus center will administer vaccinations inside the RIMAC center, not as a drive-thru.
UC San Diego has been put in place several precautions for students returning to campus this school year, including requiring students to be tested once a week and installing COVID-19 test kit vending machines on campus.