KENOSHA — A new vaccine clinic that recently opened in Kenosha has Gov. Tony Evers applauding the county for the steps it's taken to get thousands of residents vaccinated against COVID-19 and help reach herd immunity.
"We are really working well in moving forward and it's going to be even better," said Evers.
During a tour of the facility, Kenosha County health officials told Gov. Evers that the new space, a former Shopko, allows them to double the number of people they can vaccinate in a day, to 2,300.
"It was just nice to see so many people getting it," said Kenosha resident, Gail Hansche.
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Currently, eligible residents are able to receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The county is still waiting to receive doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Gail Hansche just received her second dose of the Moderna vaccine and says she's ready for things to get back to normal.
"Yeah I want to see my family. I was a little apprehensive about it, but I think it's the right thing to do just for society at large," said Hansche.
To put Kenosha County's fight against the virus in context: 14,879 people have tested positive so far, which is almost 12% of the county. Kenosha County also has the 4th highest COVID-19 death rate of all 72 counties in the state at 301 - which is why Kenosha County health officials say it's critical to get as many residents vaccinated as they can.
"This clinic facility will allow us to move to the next level," said Dr. Jen Freiheit, Director for the Kenosha County Division of Health.
In a press conference Friday morning, Evers said the new vaccination clinic in Kenosha is helping to move his plan forward towards reaching herd immunity in the state, which means getting 90% of Wisconsinites vaccinated.
"Going forward, we are ready. We are ready. You know the large facility here, we'll be seeing this all across the state. People are gearing up and preparing for the endgame. And the endgame is making sure that everybody who wants a shot, gets a shot, and we will do that," said Evers.
In that push to get more Wisconsinites vaccinated, Gov. Evers also announced that another vaccination clinic will open in Racine County on March 23 at the Regency Mall, where he says up to 1,000 doses of the COIVD-19 vaccine could be administered.