Hauts-de-Seine. Vaccinodrome could open in Europe’s largest concert hall

By Emma Grivotte
Published on 27 Mar 21 @ 7:10 am

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The concert hall Paris La Defense Arena situated at Nanterre, in the Hauts-de-Seine, could become a “Vaccinodrome”, or vaccination center at very high capacity (at least 1,000 per day), if the number of doses available allows it in April 2021.

The prefecture of the department confirms that there is “work in progress to be able to open a vaccinodrome in the event of a massive influx of vaccine doses and an enlargement of the population to be vaccinated“, That is to say younger people such as 70-74 years from this Saturday.

Subject to vaccine doses available

“If we have an influx of doses, there will be a need to be able to vaccinate strongly,” anticipates the prefecture. With its 20 vaccination lines, the La Défense center will be able to vaccinate as many people simultaneously. As for the total vaccines administered, “it is the number of doses that will decide”, specifies the prefecture.

But for the moment, the 18 city centers of Hauts-de-Seine do not receive enough doses to vaccinate full time. That of Clamart has for example a capacity of 5,000 to 6,000 people per week. However, for the moment, the maximum vaccination over a week has been 1800 according to the city. “Like everyone else, we hope for the rise of vaccination, but we still need to be given the vaccines. “Next week, however, the municipality expects more than 2,000 doses.

No closure of other centers

In the current context of low supply, the usefulness of a vaccinodrome raises questions, because centers like those of Clamart or Levallois-Perret have equivalent capacity. “We have our own vaccination center which is ultimately a vaccinodrome, because we are able to do 1,000 vaccinations per day” in Clamart.

Will this giga-center make small centers useless? No worries to have according to the prefecture, because the goal is “to have more places where to vaccinate.” And there will always be a need for local centers. “

The center installed in the largest concert hall in Europe would also target a wider audience, namely “the populations who are in La Défense, given the number of employees and given the flow and multimodal nodes in terms of transport ”.

Work to be done

If it does open its doors, the La Défense center will have to comply with very precise specifications. The prefecture is working on “the organization of the flow of people who will be vaccinated, typical aspects: who monitors, who fills out the questionnaire, the computer system, etc.”

Above all, the need for personnel will be important. “You need both prickers and people who prepare the doses, all of this is done upstream. “Doctors, nurses, administrative staff… You will have to think of everything, even meals for their lunch break.

The prefecture hopes to be able to draw in April : “It takes a little bit of time. But when we need it, we’ll be completely ready. “

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