New community vaccine clinic opens at Waukesha County Expo Center

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Waukesha County officials aim to administer thousands more vaccines at a new community clinic.

The clinic at the Waukesha County Expo Center has the ability to vaccinate 1,000 people a day. County officials said their biggest limitation is access to vaccines doses.

"We're looking to expand that, and we're able to do that seven days a week. It's a matter of getting more vaccine in," said Gail Goodchild, a program analyst with the Waukesha County Emergency Management.

Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow said the county is currently receiving a seventh of the doses it requested.

"It's kind of frustrating at times. We wish there were more vaccine. I think the state's doing a good job trying to balance out across the entire state, not just by by region," Farrow said.

Vaccines at the Expo Center are available by appointment only to eligible groups. Staff can administer up to 7,000 shots each week.

"Anyone that's currently eligible to get the vaccine can get it here," said Benjamen Jones, health officer for Waukesha County.

Currently, health care workers, first responders and people 65 and older are eligible for the vaccine in Wisconsin.

Once people are done getting vaccinated, they will go to a waiting area where they can schedule their second dose appointment. They will need to wait 15 minutes to make sure that they have no adverse reactions to the vaccine.

Jones announced earlier this week that someone in Waukesha County has tested positive for a new strain of the COVID-19 virus. The variant, known as B117, was first detected in the U.K. Doctors say studies have shown the variant more contagious and possibly more deadly.

"I think we're still learning about COVID. Honestly, it is not unusual for viruses to mutate, and really when they mutate, that kind of changes them a little bit," Jones said.

According to a news release, Waukesha County residents can sign up to receive a weekly update every Thursday about the virus and vaccines. They can sign up by texting WAUKESHA to the number 22828 or by visiting the county's COVID-19 webpage.

Waukesha County is also looking for organizations that are interested in becoming registered vaccinators. They can can find more information on the county's COVID-19 webpage.