OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – A COVID-19 vaccination site at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh is welcoming everyone 16 and older to get their shots.
Nurses, National Guard, and volunteers are running a tight ship at the vaccine facility in Oshkosh. City Manager Mark Rohloff was volunteering Tuesday morning, helping guide people through the process.
“Give it a shot, literally and figuratively,” Rohloff said. “Our mission is to get the vaccines out as much as possible. It’s a very good operation.”
“The National Guard [members] are dose runners. He’s always managing the doses so the nurses don’t get doses without him bringing them to them, so there’s no chance for doses to disappear,” said Shelley Brown-Giebel, Emergency Preparedness Specialist for Winnebago County Public Health.
Rohloff calls volunteering his way of supporting healthcare workers and others who have done so much to help the community throughout the pandemic. He says we’re in the home stretch, and it’s important to get the job done.
“Now that the vaccines are available to all adults, this vaccination clinic is a great resource for the community to get their vaccine,” Rohloff said.
Rohloff points out that there are two clinics in the city, the other at the Culver Family Welcome Center on the UW-Oshkosh campus. He says they’ll keep making the sites available as long as they can, or need to.
He’s also hoping to draw more attention to the Sunnyview facility as people look to book their vaccine appointments.
“We could process about 1,200 people a day. That’s a little tight, but we can get it done and still be socially distant,” Rohloff said. “This is a very safe process. I’ve gone through the process here at Sunnyview to get my shots, and I’m very pleased with it. I think this will be the best way for us to get back to normal…It’s convenient for residents of Oshkosh, as well as people in Neenah and northern parts of the county. So it really is a great location. We’re very happy that our residents are able to have a very accessible and easy-to-use process.”
“I think they hear a lot about the pharmacies, which are great, and all the other sites. That’s fantastic and that’s good, we want them to get a shot wherever, but this is a good option too and we have a lot of doses today and Thursday,” said Winnebago County Health Department Communication Specialist, Courtney Van Auken.
Right now, the Sunnyview site is only offering Moderna vaccines. But that didn’t seem to bother the people who were coming through.
Another thing that seemed to keep spirits up – was how quickly the process was running.
Oshkosh City Manager Mark Rohloff volunteers at the Sunnyview Expo Center COVID-19 vaccination site. (PHOTO/WTAQ News)
“We’re seeing a lot more people come in, and we’re really excited about it. It’s a very efficient operation, so if you make an appointment, you get in and out in a very short amount of time,” Rohloff told WTAQ News. “That makes it convenient for people, which when you have a busy schedule and things like that, you want to be able to know that you’re gonna be able to get your shot and get out.”
Health officials were even leading arm movement exercises every 15 minutes, helping people keep their arms moving – which ultimately makes their arms less sore later on. They also said that there have been no reported anaphylactic reactions to the vaccine at the clinic since it opened.
Two people we spoke to said it took them right around 30 minutes from the time they walked in, until the time they left. And that includes the 15-minute post-shot waiting period.
“It was really slick. Volunteers were great, told us everything we needed to know, and got us right through,” Chad said. “I feel fine, yep!”
“They get people through pretty quick. I don’t have any side effects or anything right now, and I’ve heard from my friends that’ve been vaccinated that it’s pretty painless,” Andrew said. “I was pretty much the last group, yeah. It’s nice to be able to be available…It’s more about family members and that sort of thing. It’ll be nice to not have to worry about getting it. It’s just another kind of burden, so it’s nice to get vaccinated for that reason.”
“[We] encourage people that vaccines are safe and they are very effective. If you want to protect yourself, your family, our community, vaccines are the way to go,” Rohloff added.
To learn more about sites and vaccination appointments in Winnebago County, click here.
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