Mississippi reaches 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered
Published 5:30 pm Monday, March 22, 2021
Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Monday that Mississippi has administered 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are administered in two doses, so the total includes first and second doses of those vaccines as well as first doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Reeves said that approximately 650,000 to 700,0000 Mississippians have received at least one COVID-19 shot. Of those individuals, approximately 365,000 have been fully vaccinated, the governor said.
“We said, a little over three months ago, when we started administering vaccines,” Reeves said, “that we had caught our first glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. … Today, that light is a little less dim, and it’s getting a little bit brighter every single day.”
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported Monday morning that 20 percent of Mississippi residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 11 percent are fully vaccinated.
Mississippi has been vaccinating its residents since mid-December. At the time, only health care workers and nursing home residents qualified for vaccination.
Over the months, vaccine eligibility has expanded, and last Tuesday, all Mississippians 16 years or older became eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Reeves and other state officials are encouraging Mississippians to get vaccinated. The governor noted that there are appointments available at the state’s drive-thru vaccination sites and there are opportunities to get vaccinated at other locations around the state, too.
“And we just want to encourage as many people as possible to find ways in which to do that,” he added.
The state has also seen COVID-19 cases decline over the last two months. Reeves said the case numbers in Mississippi are the lowest they have been since May 2020.
Vaccination data for local counties are listed below.
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported on Monday morning that 23 percent of Lauderdale County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Fifteen percent of Lauderdale County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Eighteen percent of Kemper County residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 11 percent are fully vaccinated. In Clarke County, 22 percent of residents have received at least one vaccine dose, and 12 percent are fully vaccinated.
In Newton County, 22 percent of residents have received at least one dose, and 13 percent are fully vaccinated. In Neshoba County, 15 percent of residents have received at least one dose, and 10 percent are fully vaccinated.