The Zenith of Lille transformed into a large vaccination center. – M.Libert / 20 Minutes
- Since Tuesday, the city of Lille also has its own vaccinodrome installed at the Zénith.
- At this site, around 1,300 people can be vaccinated each day depending on the supply of vaccine doses.
- The management of the site’s medical staff and the logistics around vaccines have been entrusted to the Lille Hospital Center.
On stage against the Covid. This Tuesday, a super coronavirus vaccination center opened its doors in the enclosure of the Zenith in Lille. The Lille Hospital Center (CHU) which manages the place has announced its ambition to treat up to 1,300 people daily depending on the supply of doses.
It has been a few months now that, for lack of cultural events, the Zénith de Lille has been converted into an advanced base for the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. From a mega screening platform, it has been transformed, since Tuesday, into a super vaccination center. The layout of the place has been radically changed to be able to accommodate hundreds of candidates every day of the week, from 9 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm: “The capacity today is 650 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The State has promised us that we could go to 1,300 as of next week, ”says Frédéric Boiron, director general of the Lille University Hospital.
Nursing staff but also firefighters and civil security
The logistical organization is shared between the different actors: reception is provided by city officials, IT, meals and security by the Metropolis, management of medical staff and vaccines is the responsibility of the CHU. As for white coats, volunteers poured in from all sides: hospital staff, liberals, firefighters and members of civil security. “In human resources, about fifty people work here”, specifies the CEO of the CHU.
Provided with his precious appointment made on the Doctolib platform, the patient who arrives at the Zénith is directed to one of the reception desks to complete the administrative formalities. It is then directed to the heart of the beast. Inside the performance hall, it feels like a country hospital. The space has been divided into sectors, each comprising numerous tents in a row.
The first tent in each sector is used for consultations with doctors, a necessary step before the injection. Once the doctor’s “go” has been obtained, the patient is directed to a vaccination post. “In all, around thirty boxes have been installed. We could even put more, ”says the boss of the Lille hospital center. The device deployed and the crowd on Tuesday morning made it possible to reduce the wait to its minimum portion.
More slots depending on supply
After the dose of vaccine has been injected, people should go to a “rest area”. There, for about fifteen minutes, patients are monitored by firefighters or civil security personnel in order to prevent any reaction to the vaccination. If all goes well, the exit is then authorized.
“The mayor of Lille was right, there was a real expectation of the population,” recognizes Frédéric Boiron. For now, it is mainly people who have received a first dose of Pfizer who pass through the center of the Zenith. “We will open more slots as we go,” assures the CEO of the CHU.