‘Freedom.’ MS Coast vaccine recipients look forward to life after COVID-19
To Monsignor James McGough, the shot represented one thing: “Freedom!”
McGough was among dozens of Coast residents over age 75 idling in the parking lot at the Kroc Center on Wednesday morning, waiting to receive the Moderna coronavirus vaccine from Coastal Family Health Clinic. As they waited, several spoke with the Sun Herald about why they decided to get the vaccine and how the pandemic has changed their lives.
They were the lucky ones. Mississippians have battled finicky websites and dealt with hours-long waits when they call hotlines to schedule appointments.
On Wednesday, local hospitals announced they were out of doses. Later in the afternoon, the state health department announced it had no more vaccines available and did not expect to receive another large shipment until mid-February.
So far, the health department reports that about 63,000 doses have been administered. That puts Mississippi’s vaccination rate at 2.11 doses per 100 people, below the US average of 3 per 100. And Mississippi has used 29.6% of its received doses so far, also below the US average of 35.9%.
While McGough and about 60 others got their shots, many others were turned away because they had not made an appointment.
Chiu Ping Rude, 77, said a friend had told her the vaccine was available at the Kroc Center. But Rude didn’t know she needed an appointment in advance.
“They’re not too busy,” she said, looking skeptically at the line of cars. “I don’t know why they can’t give me a shot.”
She got a flyer with the number to call to get an appointment and said she would try to sign up as soon as she got home. She joked that she’s not good with computers.
The comment highlighted one barrier to vaccine access: not all Mississippians have computers or internet at home, making it hard to use the state’s online portal to book a vaccine appointment. (Coastal Family makes appointments over the phone.)
Another issue is language. Information in English is of limited use to people who speak primarily Vietnamese and Spanish.
And many of the seniors waiting to get the vaccine at the Kroc Center were accompanied by their adult children or said their children had helped them book the appointment, suggesting that seniors who are more isolated may have a harder time accessing the vaccine.
Mississippi is already reporting significant racial disparities in vaccine uptake. White Missisippians have gotten 64% of all vaccines, though they are about 59% of the state population. So far, Black Mississippians, nearly 40% of the state, have received just 16% of vaccine doses. According to the census, 1% of the state is Asian; Asian Mississippians have gotten 2% of doses. About 3% of the state is Hispanic, but Hispanics have gotten only 1% of all vaccine doses
The imperfect rollout of the vaccine shows the pandemic’s end is not imminent. And experts caution that masking and social distancing will be necessary even for vaccine recipients until herd immunity is reached.
But for recipients of the vaccine on Wednesday, hope is in sight. Here’s what they had to say.
James McGough, 87
“I had to get it— whatever the consequences,” McGough said. “I need to get it. I don’t want to infect anybody else, if I get COVID.”
McGough, retired from St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland, said he had no hesitation about getting the vaccine. He hates wearing a mask and is eager to be free of it.
But more importantly, he was troubled by the thought of infecting another person.
“I know I’m going to die anyhow,” he said.
Shirley Schmidt, also 87, drove McGough to the Kroc Center. She had gotten a vaccine through Coastal Family on Saturday. As Catholics, she said, they were comfortable with the Moderna vaccine: the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have said those vaccines have only a “remote connection to morally compromised cell lines” from fetal tissue.
Rosie Dixon, 87
For the Dixons, the pandemic meant an end to family gatherings and a canceled family reunion. Relatives who had COVID-19 are still dealing with the effects, including shortness of breath, fatigue, and problems with smell and taste.
So Darlene Dixon didn’t hesitate when she heard about the opportunity to get a vaccine for her mom, Rosie, through Coastal Family. She had seen footage of frontline healthcare workers taking the vaccine and was reassured.
“We really haven’t heard about any serious side effects,” Darlene Dixon said. “We’d rather be safe than sorry, especially for my mom.”
After everyone is vaccinated, Darlene Dixon said, she’s excited to go on vacation again. By the summer, she hopes it will be safe to travel to Seattle, Wash., where her sister lives.
Steve Tingle, 76, and Louis Marlow, 88
Diana Tingle, her husband and her father arrived an hour early for their 9 a.m. appointment, wanting to be sure they kept their place in line.
“We’ve been staying away from everyone,” Diana Tingle said of her family’s lifestyle since the pandemic began.
At 60, Diana was too young to get the vaccine from Coastal herself. But she was relieved that her husband and father would now be protected. Five people in their extended family have had COVID-19, she said.
Thanks to the vaccine, their lives are about to change.
“We can travel,” Diana Tingle said. “We can get out. We can eat. We can live again.”
Gloria Carr, 84
The pandemic forced Gloria Carr to discover her porch. She had hardly ever sat on it during 40 years at her home in Biloxi. But after she stopped going out in March, the porch became the hub of her social life. In nice weather, she could gather there with her neighbors.
One of her neighbors told her that those afternoons on the porch “saved her life.”
Still, Carr missed her family, including her four great-grand-children. The oldest had regularly spent Friday nights with Carr. The pandemic put an end to that.
“I’ve really missed her,” Carr said.
Carr said her shot went fine and a few minutes afterwards she didn’t feel much of anything. After months of waiting, it was a little anti-climactic. How would she celebrate?
“I’ll call my family,” she said.
Wilma Gordon, 76
Wilma Gordon didn’t have to think much before signing up for a vaccine appointment.
“I know how to take care of myself and listen to what the scientists say,” she said. “Just listen to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci. You’ll be OK.”
Gordon is in good health, so she is more concerned about getting an appointment for her son, who has underlying conditions, including diabetes.
Her Eastern Star meetings had gone virtual, but otherwise the pandemic didn’t much change her social life, she said. She expected the vaccine would make her feel “more relaxed.”
Gordon’s appointment was scheduled for 11 a.m., but by 10:40 the line of cars in front of her was so long that she knew it would be late.
“It’s just like the Black Fridays and things,” she said. “You need to be patient.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
