Mississippi COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Tumbles 65% Since Peak

By Will Stribling

Mississippi Today

The COVID-19 vaccination rate in Mississippi is continuing its steep decline.

Last week, 46,440 Mississippians received COVID-19 vaccines, a drop of over 16% from the week prior. The state’s weekly vaccination rate has dropped 65% from its peak in late February. Mississippi continues to rank last in the nation for the share of its population that is partially or fully vaccinated.

Allison Cox, executive director of the Jackson Housing Authority, said she’s surprised more people are not getting vaccinated in Mississippi. Her organization even had difficulties in early March to fill the 240 vaccination slots per day they had through a partnership with Walmart. Still, Cox is proud that they were able to get around 2,000 Mississippians vaccinated over a six-week period. 

“Our northeast partners, like up in Maine, when they talk to us, they just can’t believe that it’s so accessible to us and that people aren’t taking advantage of it,” Cox said.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported on Monday that 974,542 people in Mississippi — about 33% of the state’s population — have received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 839,000 people have been fully inoculated since the state began distributing vaccines in December.

Thousands of vaccination appointments are currently available on the MSDH vaccine scheduler. All Mississippians ages 16 and up are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

MAP: Where Mississippians can get the COVID-19 vaccine

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.