Health and Healthcare Systems

From cathedrals to ice-rinks, here are 8 makeshift vaccination centres

People wearing masks getting Covid vaccinations in Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral is one of several British cathedrals to open as a vaccination centre. Image: REUTERS/Paul Childs - RC2NBL92XH6Z

Sonia Elks
Journalist, Reuters
This article is part of: The Davos Agenda
  • Public spaces across the world are becoming makeshift vaccination centres.
  • Unusual COVID-19 vaccination centres include Disneyland in California which has the ability to vaccinate 3,000 people per day.
  • In the UK, racecourses have become centres.

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.

Have you read?

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 waiting at Disneyland to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic, in Anaheim, California, U.S.
This super-site can vaccinate 3,000 people per day. Image: 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 at the Erika-Hess ice stadium, amid COVID-19, in Berlin, Germany.
This ice rink in Berlin, Germany, is another mass vaccination site. Image: REUTERS/ Pool New

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 Salisbury Cathedral vaccination center in Britain.
The 800-year-old Salisbury Cathedral is one of many cathedrals in Britain to open as a vaccination center. Image: 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.

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Vaccination

Related topics:
Health and Healthcare SystemsForum Institutional
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Vaccination is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

COPD kills more than lung and breast cancer combined. It's time to change that

Nitin Kapoor

November 22, 2024

A historic leap in cancer vaccines – here’s what you need to know

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum