CT First State To Deploy FEMA Coronavirus Vaccine Mobile Unit

CONNECTICUT — The first of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's coronavirus mobile vaccination unit deployed in the country became active Monday in Bridgeport at the Beardsley Zoo.

The MVU, which consists of two mobile trailers. It will travel throughout the state for 60 days to reach populations in 17 communities, selected by their Social Vulnerability Index, U.S. Census Bureau’s Community Resilience Estimates, low vaccine coverage, 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 of Johnson & Johnson. The current supply is 200 hundred doses, expanding to 400 doses later this week.

Staffing for the MVU will be provided by UConn Health, Griffin Health, Hartford Healthcare, and Trinity Health of New England. The sites will also be supported by the Connecticut National Guard and municipal partners for non-clinical staffing.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, speaking at a news conference Monday morning held at the zoo, described the current state of the vaccine rollout as "a race against a deadly, insidious virus, that is evolving, mutating, producing variants, that may be resistant to this vaccine."

"It's a race we are winning in Connecticut," Gov. Ned Lamont said, adding that, "It's a race that many nations around the world are not winning," citing the current public health crises in Italy, France and particularly Brazil.

"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.