PHOTOS: Look Inside Gwinnett County Mass Vaccination Site

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Gwinnett County's effort to eliminate the coronavirus kicked off on Saturday with the opening of its new mass vaccination site, which sat ready on Friday to begin vaccinating some 1,000 residents a day.

The site went from vacant department store to vaccination clinic in about two weeks thanks to the combined efforts of the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments, contractors and county workers, Gwinnett County officials said in a news release.

Once the home of a Sears store, the site was redesigned to allow for social distancing, and it will come complete with an observation area where patients will sit for 15 to 30 minutes after getting a shot.

County officials say the clinic is prepared to vaccinate up to 3,000 people per day once more doses of the vaccine become available.

Read more: What To Know About Gwinnett's Mass Coronavirus Vaccination Site

As it stands, the state of Georgia receives some 120,000 doses of the vaccine each week. Gov. Brian Kemp said a new plan from the Biden administration aims to increase that number to 154,000 in the coming weeks.

The county said the site will increase its appointment availability according to the number of doses it receives. Residents must make an appointment online before going to the vaccination site.

Registration data shows the site released 7,416 appointments on Wednesday, which were quickly filled.

Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson said in a Friday news conference that the addition of the vaccination center will help expedite the county's return to normal.

"This will help protect the community and help us get back to normal, so the staff was very enthusiastic about getting this done," Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson said in a statement, in part. "It was a great team effort, and I'm really proud of everyone involved."

Hendrickson added: "It took a lot of coordination with GNR Health and the Department of Support Services with planning, Fire and Emergency Services with inspections, Planning and Development with plan review and onsite inspections, and Transportation with traffic improvements, to name just a few departments that worked to get the site up and running."

During the news conference, Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments District Director Dr. Audrey Arona thanked Hendrickson for her contributions to the site.

"GNR Health is thrilled to partner with Gwinnett County to provide a static mass vaccination site that is central to serve our county," Arona said. "We owe a debt of gratitude to Chairwoman Hendrickson and her team for their contribution, including quickly readying the space for our use."

Look Inside The Vaccination Center

(All photos courtesy of Dot Paul for Gwinnett County Communications)