Source: Mississippi State Department of Health

State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers predicts that Mississippi may receive its first allocation of COVID-19 vaccines around Dec. 13.

“Certainly sometime around the next week or so,” he said. 

He expects that the state will initially receive around 25,000 doses of the vaccine. The first doses will be given to health care workers, especially those who could be exposed to COVID-19 in their work, Byers said. 

A Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts will undergo a final review of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

“We are feeling increasingly confident that this is a vaccine that not only is going to be effective,” said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, “and to help protect those who are at the front lines, those that are most vulnerable, but also help us start to get a lid on this coronavirus pandemic that’s been plaguing us for so many months.”

The United Kingdom has already authorized the vaccine, and it began vaccinating people Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported on Tuesday 1,732 new COVID-19 cases statewide, bringing the case total to 167,926. The seven-day rolling average for cases in Mississippi is about 1,931 cases.

The total number of COVID-19 related deaths reported in the state since March surpassed 4,000 on Tuesday. With 56 new deaths, the state has now reported a total of 4,017 deaths.

In Lauderdale County, 72 new cases of COVID-19 and no additional deaths were reported, bringing the county’s totals to 3,947 cases and 151 deaths since March.

The seven-day rolling average for cases in Lauderdale County is about 50 cases.

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

Newton County: 18 new cases; 1,204 total cases since March. No new deaths; 29 total deaths since March.

Kemper County: 17 new cases; 541 total cases. No new deaths; 19 total deaths.

Clarke County: six new cases; 999 total cases. No new deaths; 55 total deaths.

Neshoba County: 43 new cases; 2,434 total cases. One new death, which occurred between November 24 and December 7; 125 total deaths since March.

MSDH presumes 136,627 people have recovered from COVID-19. The department also reported that there are 206 ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term-care facilities, seven of which are in Lauderdale County facilities.

MSDH recommended on Dec. 2 that all Mississippi residents avoid any social gathering that includes individuals outside of one’s nuclear family or household.

The department is recommending that people avoid funerals, unless they are a member of the close family of the deceased, and is advising that the funerals are held outdoors. Other gatherings that MSDH recommends that people do not attend are social events, parties, family gatherings outside of one’s household or nuclear family, weddings, sporting events and in-person church services.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that Gov. Tate Reeves will update his order on social gatherings later this week. 

Lauderdale, Neshoba and Kemper counties are on a list of 54 counties with additional COVID-19 safety measures. Indoor social gatherings in these counties must be limited to 10 people, and outdoor social gatherings must be limited to 50.

People in the counties must wear a mask when they are indoors and interacting with the public, but cannot social distance.

In Meridian, the city is under a mask mandate that remains in effect until the end of the year. 

COVID-19 data for Mississippi counties

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	1541	52	70	14
Alcorn	1666	31	93	14
Amite	659	15	15	2
Attala	1312	37	134	24
Benton	523	18	44	10
Bolivar	2657	89	224	30
Calhoun	859	14	25	4
Carroll	813	15	46	9
Chickasaw	1187	33	48	14
Choctaw	395	7	1	0
Claiborne	600	16	43	9
Clarke	999	55	93	27
Clay	1014	27	20	3
Coahoma	1644	46	127	11
Copiah	1831	42	72	9
Covington	1459	51	93	23
De Soto	11203	110	103	20
Forrest	4203	90	186	41
Franklin	406	6	4	1
George	1421	27	47	6
Greene	717	23	47	6
Grenada	1542	48	135	23
Hancock	1388	45	68	12
Harrison	8039	117	391	38
Hinds	11046	210	552	85
Holmes	1411	61	103	20
Humphreys	588	20	33	8
Issaquena	130	4	0	0
Itawamba	1727	41	100	18
Jackson	6976	137	197	21
Jasper	946	24	1	0
Jefferson	398	12	15	3
Jefferson Davis	623	18	8	1
Jones	4054	90	193	38
Kemper	541	19	41	9
Lafayette	3549	60	152	35
Lamar	3222	50	44	12
Lauderdale	3947	151	344	80
Lawrence	781	14	27	2
Leake	1502	45	45	7
Lee	5829	99	201	39
Leflore	2235	94	196	48
Lincoln	2107	69	166	36
Lowndes	2821	70	129	37
Madison	5478	114	298	55
Marion	1319	50	121	19
Marshall	2378	53	59	15
Monroe	2287	78	176	52
Montgomery	842	27	54	9
Neshoba	2434	125	175	49
Newton	1204	29	49	10
Noxubee	768	17	21	4
Oktibbeha	2708	64	201	31
Panola	2533	57	73	11
Pearl River	1772	72	119	25
Perry	715	27	20	7
Pike	1752	61	98	27
Pontotoc	2347	32	20	3
Prentiss	1641	36	93	12
Quitman	524	7	0	0
Rankin	6645	117	266	33
Scott	1715	30	30	3
Sharkey	342	17	43	8
Simpson	1602	54	139	19
Smith	800	16	55	8
Stone	895	15	58	9
Sunflower	2027	56	84	15
Tallahatchie	1036	28	33	7
Tate	1934	51	72	18
Tippah	1417	30	62	4
Tishomingo	1221	47	96	26
Tunica	649	19	15	2
Union	1942	26	50	11
Walthall	831	31	67	13
Warren	1975	60	143	27
Washington	3486	108	187	39
Wayne	1325	24	60	10
Webster	517	14	52	11
Wilkinson	455	22	20	5
Winston	1401	30	81	16
Yalobusha	791	29	81	21
Yazoo	1707	42	138	15
Total	167,926	4,017	8,085	1,498