The City of Irvine has announced a partnership with Edwards Lifesciences, and Providence, a nonprofit healthcare system, that will open a mass vaccination site at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

Irvine expects the Great Park drive-through to be up and running by Monday, April 26. All residents who are eligible for a vaccine can register for an appointment on MyTurn.

In an interview with Irvine Weekly, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan said she was happy to welcome a partnership that would help bring vaccines to cities in the South County.

“When we’re up and running, we’re looking at doing 4,000 vaccines a day,” Khan said. “That’s just trying to get as many people to give those shots to.”

This partnership with Edwards Lifesciences, an innovator in medical technology, and Providence will also open other mass vaccination clinics in the cities of Santa Ana, Tustin and Costa Mesa.

While Orange County has established a number of SuperPODs for COVID-19 vaccination distribution, the city of Irvine continued to reiterate its ability to handle the logistical challenge, considering it became the first city in the county to offer free COVID-19 testing to residents.

In January, the city worked with the county to present a license agreement to the Irvine City Council that would establish a partnership with Orange County and the city of Irvine to utilize the Great Park as a COVID-19 Super POD.

However, before the Irvine City Council could vote on the license agreement authorizing the use of Hangar 244 as a third Super POD site in the county, the item was pulled from the agenda prior to the Jan. 26 meeting, at the request of County Executive Officer Frank Kim.

The city has now elected to go with a non-county vaccination site.

Khan admitted that while she was disappointed the city couldn’t reach an agreement with the county, she understands that the availability of the vaccine was out of their control.

“I couldn’t be happier to provide the community with the kind of site that they were looking for,” Khan said. “I have to give a little bit of credit to the county, because they really have been focusing on all the different requirements and metrics that they have to meet and even though we were disappointed we couldn’t get a SuperPOD here in Irvine, we understood where the need was the greatest.”

Providence will also be establishing the first mass vaccination clinic on Wednesday, April 21, in Santa Ana. In a statement, Erik G. Wexler, president, operations and strategy, Providence South said establishing these mass vaccination sites in Orange county will help distribute the vaccine to those who need it most.

“Providence is committed to providing Orange County residents with access to the vaccine, particularly our most vulnerable communities that are bearing the brunt of this virus, and our strong partnerships are making that possible,” Wexler said. “Working with the dedicated staff at Edwards and the Cities of Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Tustin to open these two sites, helps us increase our capacity to deliver more vaccine doses and keep our communities healthy.”

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