KENOSHA, Wis.— In the race to get everyone vaccinated, Wisconsin hits a new milestone.

Local pharmacies are now getting the COVID vaccine. Alex Berce, CEO and managing pharmacist at Good Value Pharmacy said the state called him Tuesday morning to inform him that his pharmacies would be getting the COVID vaccine Wednesday morning. 

“I was surprised, to be honest. I was thinking it would be another few weeks before some of the other smaller providers could get it but it is exciting,” said Berce.

As of right now, Good Value Pharmacy, which has locations in Racine and Kenosha County, is getting 100 doses total. 

Pharmacists are working with the Kenosha County health department to figure out who needs the injections. 

Another challenge: The Pfizer vaccine is time-sensitive because it requires a special deep freezer. 

“We need to get the doses out in 120 hours, that is five days,” said Berce. 

Many family-owned pharmacies don’t have access to the special cold storage units. 

On Monday, the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin called for shifting fully to phase 1B and allowing more pharmacies to provide shots. 

"Our members are ready and able to provide rapid vaccination to this priority group, greatly increasing both the overall vaccination coverage and coverage for high-risk individuals," the group said in a statement.

Wisconsin is in phase 1A; this includes vaccinating health care workers, long-term care staff, and long-term care residents. The state anticipates moving into Phase 1B next week.