The mobile COVID-19 vaccination unit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in New Haven Thursday.
"It allows us to vaccinate those under-served individuals throughout many of the areas of New Haven. We want to reach that population and that’s our goal here today,” Rick Fontana, New Haven's deputy director of Emergency Management, said.
Joelle Mendez, of New Haven, was one of the first people at the site on the New Haven Green.
“There were no appointments, everything was booked, so I was able to get this and I’m actually really excited so I could feel safer,” Mendez said.
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This comes a week after the mobile clinic made its Connecticut debut in Bridgeport.
Who Can Get an Appointment at the FEMA Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Unit in New Haven
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This vaccination site will be for New Haven residents only and those looking to get vaccinated will have to schedule an appointment by calling Griffin Hospital at 855-691-6369 or visiting www.griffinhealth.org/newhaven.
The site will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Friday, April 9 and all the appointments for the two-day clinic are full.
The state's website says all FEMA Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic locations will offer the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine.
New Haven city leaders said the goal is to reach people throughout the city who might be having a tough time getting vaccinated.
“We’re really optimistic that the numbers, we’ve got 900 people scheduled already for two days, which is really a high number," Fontana said. "We were shooting for 250 to 400 per day, we’re over that already, so the hard work by many is really good for New Haven.”
The city will also be rolling out mobile units in the coming days.
According to FEMA, the trailer will travel through 17 communities in Connecticut over 60 days.
Click here to see when the mobile unit will be in your community.
Each community handles scheduling differently. Contact your local health department for more details.
