Cardinal Stadium site to offer COVID vaccinations for thousands a day

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - As case numbers continue to decline in the fight against COVID-19, the city of Louisville is continuing to take preventative action to prevent an additional wave of infections.

That includes a new mass vaccination site opening April 12 at the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Stadium.

COVID-19 cases are down for an 11th straight week in the city of Louisville. Weekly cases haven’t been this low since last July.

Louisville health officials are crediting vaccination efforts that are only expanding.

“I know many of you were waiting for more high-risk Louisvillians to get vaccinated first,” Chief Health Strategist Dr. Sarah Moyer said, “but now is the time we need to switch that and need everyone to get vaccinated.”

Starting Wednesday, March 31, the vaccination site at Cardinal Stadium will open registration. It will eventually become the city’s largest vaccination site when vaccines start on April 12, the same day Louisvillians as young as 16 can start to receive the vaccine.

“What we’ll be able to do with the continued supply of vaccine from the state and from the national supply is do around 4 and 5,000 vaccinations per day at this Cardinal Stadium lot,” UofL Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jason Smith said.

Over a six-week span, Smith said that’s more than 200,000 vaccinations UofL plans to administer.

As for the site that previously claimed the title of the city’s of largest mass vaccination site at Broadbent Arena, they’re not going away, but they are shifting gears.

The team at LouVax will be moving to mobile missions and going where they’re needed.

“Our mobile missions could be anywhere from 10 people to 1,000,” Louisville Metro Health and Wellness Associate Medical Director Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage said. “But they’re tailored to specific groups, including neighborhoods, demographics, various community organizations.”

The last primary dose to be administered at Broadbent Arena will be April 9. The final booster will be given weeks later at the end of April.

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