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State leaders announced on Friday that they plan to double the number of vaccination sites in the state.

Mississippi also plans to double the number of days those sites are open and double the number of appointments at each site per day, Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement on Friday.

Reeves said the vaccine rollout in Mississippi is not going “nearly fast enough.”

The measures Reeves announced would make the state’s maximum possible number of appointments increase from 8,000 to 30,000 over the coming days, he said.

The Mississippi State Department of Health announced on Wednesday that people in the state who are 75 years and older are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The state will also continue to vaccinate health care workers and long-term care residents and staff. 

Mississippi allows people to sign up for a vaccination appointment at a drive-thru site by visiting COVIDvaccine.umc.edu or by calling (877) 978-6453. Reeves said the state is increasing the capacity of the call center.

“Elderly Mississippians—most vulnerable to the virus—can’t rely on apps and social media,” he said.

During a Mississippi State Medical Association COVID-19 update call, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said that in addition to the drive-thru vaccination sites, there are also private clinics and hospitals in the state that will offer vaccines to people 75 years or older.

Mississippi continues to see high COVID-19 case numbers. The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 2,175 new COVID-19 cases and 40 new COVID-19 related deaths on Friday.

COVID-19 case and death numbers for local counties are listed below.

Lauderdale County: 59 new cases; 5,351 cases since March. No additional deaths; 173 total deaths since March.

Clarke County: 11 new cases; 1,276 cases since March. One additional death, which occurred between Dec. 16 and Jan. 7; 60 total deaths since March.

Newton County: 13 new cases; 1,730 total cases. One additional death, which occurred between Nov. 26 and Jan. 1 and was identified from death certificate reports; 41 total deaths since March.

Kemper County: 14 new cases; 727 total cases. No additional deaths; 19 total deaths since March.

Neshoba County: 29 new cases; 3,187 total cases. One additional death, which occurred between Dec. 16 and Jan. 7; 147 total deaths since March.

MSDH presumed that 182,103 people have recovered from COVID-19 as of January 3. The department also reported that there are 221 ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term-care facilities.

As of Wednesday, 30,691 COVID-19 vaccinations had been reported to the Mississippi Immunization Information Exchange. Vaccine providers are required to report COVID-19 vaccinations to this registry within 24 hours of the vaccination.

As of Wednesday, 1,263 vaccinations of Lauderdale County residents had been reported to the registry.

County cases