A major COVID-19 mass vaccination site for Howard County has opened at The Mall in Columbia.|| COVID-19 updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||The Lord & Taylor store at the mall fell victim to the pandemic, closing last year. On Friday, it reopened as a new kind of anchor for the community in an effort to save lives. Maryland online vaccination site locatorVaccine Data DashboardMaryland vaccination plan FAQsThe mass vaccination site is located on the second floor in the old Lord & Taylor store. Road signs guide people to the parking garage and to the clinic entrance."It was a long line. That's about it. Didn't really hurt and everybody was pretty nice," said 16-year-old Benjello Ffiel."Doesn't hurt at all. It didn't even hurt when they put it in. It felt great," said 17-year-old Tobi Oyegoke."I'm familiar with this area, and I mean, there were signs everywhere letting us know. It was easy," said Tobi's mother, Yetunde Oyegoke.Vaccines are by appointment only from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. "Howard County, being situated between the Baltimore area and D.C. area, right in the middle, we are the prime location for the state to ensure that, not only do our residents continue to have access to the vaccine, but to everyone who comes to The Mall in Columbia and those in the entire region can come visit here," Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said."I come to Columbia mall quite often, so it is pretty convenient because it's already pretty familiar to me. So, that was one of the things that sort of took away the anxiety, so just sort of knowing where you're going," said Sarah Coker-Robinson.With Friday being the soft launch, there were 1,000 shots of Pfizer were available. They intend to extend that to 3,000 shots per day at full speed. "The Howard County Health Department has not had Pfizer in quite a long time. So the fact that the state is bringing Pfizer to this mass vaccination clinic in Howard County means that our 16- and 17-year-olds now have an option of getting vaccinated now, and that's enormous," Howard County Health Officer Dr. Maura Rossman said."You want to live longer? You want to do more things? You want to play sports? Go out and get vaccinated," said Jamal Barber.With the Columbia site launch, there are 13 mass vaccination clinics open and operating in Maryland, including the clinic at the Greenbelt Metro Station that's being operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Columbia location marks the 12th state-run mass vaccination site to open.