The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting 161 new cases of COVID-19.
The latest report brings the state’s total number of cases up to 311,654. With the confirmation of 2 additional deaths, 7,195 Mississippians have passed away from the virus.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers confirmed 8 deaths out of the 350+ Mississippians that have contracted a variant strain of the virus. Dr. Byers reiterated that the available vaccines are highly effective against the known variant strains of COVID-19. Those who passed away from the variant strains were not fully vaccinated.
Wednesday, the MSDH announced the resumption of its distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The one-dose shot had been shelved since April 13 as the CDC and FDA investigated six cases of a rare blood clot in women who had received the vaccine.
The J&J vaccine will return with additional guidelines and information provided to patients who elect to receive it over the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Nearly 770,000 Mississippians are fully vaccinated. Make your appointment at https://covidvaccine.umc.edu.
MSDH officials have announced a new tool for homebound Mississippians that want to get vaccinated. If you know someone who is homebound, email their information to covidhomebound@msdh.ms.gov.
Additionally, the MSDH revealed the results of a survey issued to gauge the state’s willingness to get vaccinated. The survey of over 11,000 residents across all 82 counties revealed that 73% of Mississippians plan to get vaccinated. That varied by race with 80% of Asian Americans, 80% of Caucasians, 66% of Native Americans, 61% of Latinos and 56% of African Americans answering that they intend to get vaccinated.
