ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Orange County Health Care Agency announced Thursday morning it will close the county's coronavirus mass vaccination site at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim due to a forecasted storm heading to Southern California this week.
A winter storm expects to hit the Southland and dump heavy rain late Thursday and Friday.
Both vaccination sites should remain open on Thursday since rain isn't expected until early that evening. On Thursday morning, the OC Health Care Agency announced the Disneyland POD would be closed Friday due to a forecasted intense downpour. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch throughout the Southern California region.
Bad weather has been a big issue for the county's super point-of-dispensing site or Super POD located outdoors at a vast empty parking lot at the Disneyland Resort. The Disneyland Super POD can vaccinate about 3,000 people a day.
Every time it closes, it is a blow to the county's goals of vaccinating as many people as they can. Some social media users have suggested the county move the site to an indoor facility such as the Honda Center or the Anaheim Convention Center.
The Disneyland super POD is one of five planned Super PODs in the county. The Soka University Super POD opened last week, and more will come online once the county receives more vaccines.
The Disneyland super POD began inoculating Orange County resident seniors 65 and older and health care workers on January 13. Since then, bad weather has closed the site three times. High winds forced the Disneyland Super POD to close on January 19 and 20, and a third time in the afternoon of January 25.
Those who had vaccination appointments on those days were rescheduled for a later date.