ST. LOUIS — The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) eight-week COVID-19 vaccination event at the Dome at America’s Center gets underway Wednesday, April 7, and federal government officials have descended upon downtown St. Louis to prepare for the event.
The entrance to the mass vaccination clinic will be at Gate C at Broadway and Cole Street. It’s on the northeast corner of the Dome, and it’s where you’re supposed to enter after you register and make your appointment.
Those officials emphasize you need to register first on the Missouri Vaccine Navigator website. You can also register on the phone by calling 877-435-8411.
Once inside, you will have your temperature checked before going up the escalator or elevator to the concourse, where officials will confirm your registration.
A lot of federal government resources are descending upon St. Louis to help.
“We’ll see about 135 sailors arrive at this station to facilitate the operation of this facility," Defense Dept. Col. Bob Reeves said. "With these sailors coming in and the support of FEMA and volunteers throughout the community, we anticipate providing over 3,000 shots in arms per day.”
FEMA officials said the priority of this vaccination event is to reach populations and communities that are at high-risk of contracting the virus.
“We’ll be setting up the infrastructure for the vaccine event. We have the shell in place but we’re going to be working on some walk-throughs with our Department of Defense colleagues, just kind of running through the process,” FEMA Deputy Site Coordinator Andrew Meyer said.
The equipment that FEMA officials have on site includes special refrigerators to store the ultra-cold Pfizer vaccine. Free parking will be available north of the Dome, at Sixth and Cole Street.
“You will exit through a different door than the one you come in,” explained FEMA spokesperson John Mills. “But it’s also along Cole, so you’ll be close to that parking at Sixth and Cole."
The event will go on for 56 days in a row, resulting in as many as 168,000 people getting vaccinated.