Nation’s first mobile vaccination unit opening at Bridgeport zoo

The nation”™s first mobile vaccination unit (MVU) will be unveiled at Bridgeport”™s Beardsley Zoo on Monday.

The MVU will travel throughout Connecticut for 60 days to reach populations in 17 communities, which in addition to Bridgeport include Danbury, Norwalk and Stamford.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the destinations were chosen based on the CDC”™s Social Vulnerability Index, U.S. Census Bureau”™s Community Resilience Estimates, low vaccine coverage, metrics and other barriers to vaccine access.

The MVU is expected to handle a minimum of 250 people per day, including walk-in capability within the available supply. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be used to enhance efficiency and maximize the number of doses administered through the team. To ensure equity of distribution of the vaccine, the targeted municipalities listed are divided among the 60-day mission.

The MVU will be used to complement ongoing efforts of public health departments, health care providers, pharmacies, community and faith-based organizations, employers, private sector vaccinators and other federal resources. Municipal and community partners are coordinating outreach to high-risk and vulnerable residents about the MVU and assisting with appointment scheduling.

Staffing for the MVU will be provided by Hartford Healthcare, which owns St. Vincent”™s Medical Center in Bridgeport, along with UConn Health, Griffin Health and Trinity Health of New England. The Connecticut National Guard and municipal partners will provide nonclinical staffing.

“The partnership with FEMA and the federal government has been exceptional, providing support to our state during this critical time as we continue to move as fast as possible to vaccinate as many residents as we can,” said Gov. Ned Lamont.

“This first-in-the-nation mobile vaccination unit is a vital tool in our toolbox to reach communities across Connecticut which have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We will continue to take every step possible, working with our network of vaccine providers, and with the support of our congressional delegation, to ensure our distribution is equitable and touching every corner of our state,” Lamont said.