COVID-19 vaccinations for residents age 75 and older becoming available

The Mississippi State Department of Health has opened, and State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs expects wider availability as clinics, pharmacies and community health centers sign up to offer the shots.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Dobbs also said that 189,000 doses of the vaccine have been allocated, with 132,000 of those doses going so far to hospitals, primarily for health care workers, and nursing homes.

Dobbs also believes residents 65 and older will be able to begin receiving shots by the week beginning Jan. 18, although that Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Residents 65-74 can’t begin booking appointments yet, he said.

MSDH is now rolling out shots for the vulnerable population 75 and older at 18 drive-thru locations. Residents can sign up online https://covidvaccine.umc.edu/ for the shots or call 877-978-6453 for an appointment.

Dobbs said MSDH is signing up private medical clinics, pharmacies and community health centers to offer vaccinations and residents should book shots when they become available the way they do regular appointments. According to Dobbs, Mississippi has 200,00 residents age 75 or older and 400,000 who are age 65 or older.