Setting up and managing the largest COVID-19 mass vaccination center in Lombardy, Italy

Front Public Health. 2023 Nov 17:11:1290350. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1290350. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Background: The rapid global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was met with the rollout of vaccination campaigns at mass vaccination centers. The Palazzo delle Scintille, Milan, was designated by the Lombardy regional administration as a vaccination site with the target of processing about 9,000 users daily.

Methods: For this observational study, we compared data on vaccinations delivered at the Palazzo delle Scintille with coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related regional data.

Results: Between 25 April 2021 and 28 February 2023, a total of 1,885,822 COVID-19 doses were administered; the mean hourly rate was 289 (247.2), the mean daily rate was 3185.5 (3104.5), the mean user age was 49.5 years (10.7). The Comirnaty vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) was most often given (1,072,030/1,885,822; 56.8%). Between 4 December 2021 and 15 January 2022, the daily dose rate was above the maximum daily capacity set by the regional administration.

Conclusion: The trend for daily dose rates administered at the Palazzo delle Scintille center was in line with COVID-19-related regional data. The center played a major role in the regional mass vaccination campaign.

Keywords: COVID-19; mass vaccination center; organizational layout; vaccination experience; vaccine.

Publication types

  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Mass Vaccination*
  • Middle Aged
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Vaccination

Substances

  • dioctadecylamidospermine

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was partially funded by the Italian Ministry of Health - Current Research IRCCS.