Why Utilizing an Indoor Basketball Court is a Feasible Plan?
School Sites Can Provide Low-Temperature Storage
First, current available Covid-19 vaccines need to be stored under low temperatures. The capacity (1) and temperature setting (2) of these commercial refrigerators in the kitchens are qualified to store the vaccine boxes.
See the diagram below; the indoor basketball courts are often located adjacent to the cafeteria and kitchen in a school setting. Their spatial relation makes the indoor basketball courts easier to qualify as Point of Use (POU).
School Sites Can Provide On-Site Parking Spaces (within Walking Distances)
Second, those indoor basketball courts have already been embedded in the neighborhood's infrastructure network systems. Using basketball courts as POU will be closed to the students' enrollment district (aka. school catchment area) and where these teachers reside. Hence, the school setting would be easier to coordinate with future vaccination needs. On top of that, school campuses offer ample parking spaces and fixed loading areas, which will ease some traffic demand during peak appointments.
We can use DC public schools as an estimated example.
According to DC zoning handbook, public education institutions will provide minimum 0.25 spaces per 1000 square feet of building footprint.
The parking spaces for schools in suburban areas are calculated based on the zone's provision. Most of them are surface parking; therefore, it is easy to maneuver in traffic. For example, in Montgomery County, Maryland, the maximum surface parking area in R60 and R40 zones is 35% of the space between the lot line and building line. So, in general, those schools could provide approximately a minimum of 50 parking spaces.
School Locations Also Benefit Senior Residents
Most schools are located in the residential neighborhood; this strategic location is also beneficial for senior residents who need the boosters.
The Steps to Layout Vaccination Sites
Locate seats on the marking. (see red dots)
Locate seats in the middle between the red dots. (see blue dots)
Align the rest of the seats with red dots and blue dots location. (see green dots)
Basketball court base image via Dimensions.com. There are 90 spots total for one basketball court.
As the illustration is shown above, there will be six vaccination stations (three for each side) inside one basketball court. Assuming there will be eight main appointment slots per site per day, each appointment is sixty minutes. During this one-hour time, each station could cover 15 patients. If everyone could come as scheduled, each basketball court site could administer 720 doses a day.
Municipality like Washington DC, there are eight wards in the city. Imagine if we select two school-type vaccination sites per ward, there could be a maximum of 11,520 doses administered per day. (If we do one school per ward, there could be 5,760 doses administered per day.)
School vaccination sites are also beneficial in reducing staff on demand. Here is the estimated personnel schedule below for your reference.
Take Advantage of Existing Marking
Human eyes are more precise in layout at the middle point; thus, we want to take advantage of the existing marking without measuring tools. By doing so, it would be feasible for a quick setup.
Pay Attention to Circulation (One Way Traffic)
In some cases, there are audience seats at the perimeter of the basketball court. It is necessary to label the waiting spot by following social distancing guidelines.
Message here or leave a comment below if you have any concerns.
Note and References:
Recent update on vaccines for children, American Medical Association (AMA), accessed 5.20.2022
According to Pfizer’s official website, these specialized thermal shippers are roughly the size of a carryon suitcase and can weigh up to 81 lbs. fully loaded.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is required to be stored under 2-8°C (35°F-46°F). See Pfizer’s explanation on “How will hospital and pharmacies keep vaccines cold”. Moderna Vaccine has two options for storage: freezer between -25°C and -15°C (-13°F and 5°F) and Refrigerator between 2°C and 8°C (36°F and 46°F). See CDC’s explanation on “How should I store Modera Covid-19 vaccine”.
Average size of DC public School information derived from Public Education Facilities Master Plan Appendices B -1 District Columbia.
Many of our urban element could be utilized as vaccination site (with pros and cons). Sports stadium is one of them. Check out recent story “Vaccination Day at Dodge Stadium” from The New York Times. Other urban element such as food court (in the mall) or the atrium type lobby (of the commercial/ office building) are also good resources for future vaccination sites. Those places are located within the convenient neighborhood network, have capacity for low-temperature storage, ample of open floor space and their outstanding high ceiling. (And both place would still under-utilizing after March)
FDA authorized Johnson &Johnson single shot coronavirus vaccine on late Saturday (2.26.2021). This vaccine, which is for adults 18 and older, does not have to be kept frozen. That makes a big advantage for rural areas and other hard-to reach communities.
Last update: 5/20/2022