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.

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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.

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