Nearly $200 million of funding from the CDC has been allocated to Mississippi to support COVID-19 testing and vaccination-related activities.
Announced by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, the funding comes as the result of the relief package passed by Congress in late December.
“We all recognize ongoing stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic on our hospitals, health workers, and importantly the lives of all Mississippians. This initial $198 million from the most recent COVID-19 response package will help us with testing and the distribution of the vaccines that can help us control this virus,” Hyde-Smith said.
$171,302,324 will support testing, contract tracing, containment, and mitigation to monitor and suppress the spread of COVID-19. Another $26,892,045 will support a range of COVID-19 vaccination activities in Mississippi.
In addition to healthcare workers, the Mississippi State Department of Health recently began vaccinating those over the age of 75. Those over the age of 65 will be eligible the week of the 18th, according to State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs.
To date, around 40,000 Mississippians have received their first dose of the vaccine.
