MS will double COVID vaccine sites after distribution mess, Gov. Reeves vows
Gov. Tate Reeves acknowledged the slow vaccine rollout in Mississippi on Friday and said the state will speed up delivery as elderly residents clamor for shots.
Reeves wrote in a series of tweets Friday afternoon: “When we have a problem in Mississippi, my goal is always the same: be honest about it. Try to fix it, not hide it. Keep you up to date.”
The state is receiving $171.3 million in COVID-19 support from the federal government, with $26.8 million earmarked for shots now being offered to those 75 and older, with 65+ residents next in line.
Here’s what the governor said the state will do to beef up the existing 18 drive-thru sites, where appointments have quickly filled up:
▪ Double the number of vaccine sites.
▪ Double the number of days open.
▪ Double the number of appointments at each site per day.
▪ Increase call-center capacity to set up appointments for people without internet access.
“That should make our max possible number of appointments go from 8,000 to 30,000 over the coming days,” Reeves said.
“If you want a vaccine, you should have quick, simple access. Government logistics should not stand in your way.”
Governor wants to open vaccines for all
Following the CDC’s lead, the state set priority groups for early vaccinations. Inoculations for health care workers and residents and employees of long-term care facilities workers were offered vaccinations when the program rolled out in the last week in December.
The state’s oldest residents are now being vaccinated, to be followed the third week in January by those who are 65+, first responders, teachers, child-care workers, corrections officers and people in congregate settings.
But Reeves said on Twitter:
“Shutdowns are done. This is the mission now. We can’t lose precious months to debate over who is more essential.”
“We need to quickly get this out to everyone we can. Allow people to protect themselves. Then open this country back up—wide open! Get back to life without this fear!”
In afternoon discussion with Mississippi State Medical Association members online, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs and epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers of the Mississippi State Department of Health continued to talk in terms of vaccinating by priority group.
Dobbs said that he and Byers met Friday with Reeves.
The MSDH drive-thru sites, opened this week, had administered 7,600 doses of vaccine by Friday, following CDC guidelines on inoculating health-care workers and residents 75 or older, Dobbs said.
“We’re looking to about triple that for next week,” he said. Also, pharmacies and clinics are signing on to administer vaccines. They are being listed on the MSDH website as they come aboard.
Dobbs said appointment glitches cropped up this week because 75+ residents were added earlier than expected to the list of groups now receiving vaccines and acknowledged appointments were filling up fast.
CVS and Walgreens are inoculating long-term care employees and residents through a federal partnership.
How to schedule a vaccine appointment in MS
To set up vaccination appointments at drive-thru clinics, residents 75 and older can call the MSDH hotline, which has experienced long delays, at 877-978-6453, or schedule them online at covidvaccine.umc.edu.
The website on Friday afternoon showed some appointments available next week or later at
- Harrison County Health Department, 1102 45th Ave., Gulfport
- Lake Terrace Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza in Hattiesburg
- Jackson County Health Department, 4600 Lt. Eugene J. Majure Drive, in Pascagoula.
However, the appointments were filling up quickly.
In South Mississippi, the following locations are on the state’s latest list of providers that will offer vaccines:
- Ochsner Medical Center in Bay St. Louis, Hancock County
- Coastal Family Health Center locations in Biloxi, D’Iberville, Saucier in Harrison County and Vancleave in Jackson County
- Singing River Health System, based in Jackson County, call 228-809-5555 or current Singing River patients can sign up online.
- Gulfport Memorial Hospital clinics have been vaccinating on a first-come, first-served basis with future locations to be announced.
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 3:54 PM.
