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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A major milestone in the fight against COVID-19 had the Unified Government of Wyandotte County celebrating Wednesday.

Jerome was greeted at the former K-Mart store on State Avenue with confetti and cheers as he received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine just after 11 a.m.  

The KCK resident received the 100,000th vaccine dose in Wyandotte County.

The health department said it will continue to offer free transportation, send vaccinators out to homes and stage clinics for churches and community groups to get more shots in arms.

It’s is an important milestone for a community of more than 165,000 people, which has lagged behind in its vaccination rate compared to the rest of Kansas.

“We are excited to celebrate this moment, and we also recognize that we have a long way to go,” said Juliann Van Liew, public health director for the Unified Government. “About 33% of residents in Wyandotte County have received their first dose of the vaccine. So we are focused and committed to continuing to move forward in meeting people where they are and providing vaccines that reduce as many barriers as possible.”

Demand for the vaccine is waning as the risk of disease decreases.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 1 out of 5 unvaccinated people say they won’t get the shot or will only do so if required.

Unless a variant crops up that can’t be stopped by the current shots, experts say demand for the immunizations will continue to drop.