Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Mississippi has reached a milestone with 50% of residents being fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine, which has been available to the public for almost a year, has been instrumental in slowing the spread of the virus and lessening the likelihood of severe illness for those who experience breakthrough cases. Despite this, the state remains among the least vaccinated in the country.
While 50% of Mississippi residents are fully vaccinated — two doses of the vaccine — and 58% have at least one dose, 64% of people are fully vaccinated nationwide and 75% have received at least one dose as of Feb. 1, according to the CDC.
The vaccine is currently available to most of the population. Anyone five years of age or older is eligible to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Moderna is recommended to all those 18 years of age or older, and the single dose vaccine, Johnson & Johnson, is also available to those 18 years or older. Everyone 12 years or older is eligible for the Pfizer/BioNTech booster, and those 18 years or older are eligible for the Moderna booster.
Even with the wide vaccine availability and broad vaccine eligibility, there are a number of reasons why Mississippi has yet to catch up in the race to immunize ourselves against the virus. Kayla R. Stover, associate professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, and David Cretella, clinical pharmacy specialist and lead pharmacist of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, explained some of the nuances that account for the low rate of vaccination in our state.
“There are likely many complex reasons that are difficult to unwind. For some, it is hesitancy about the safety of the vaccines,” they said. “The available vaccines are safe. More than 200 million Americans are fully vaccinated and more than 500 million doses have been given.”
For those who are worried the vaccine may have an adverse effect on them, Stover and Cretella emphasized that it is incredibly rare for the vaccine to have any serious adverse effects.
“Most adverse events are not serious and resolve within a few days. An AMA survey found that 96% of practicing doctors were fully vaccinated. They aren’t recommending something they wouldn’t do themselves,” they said.
They also point to the politicization of the pandemic and how that has contributed to vaccine skepticism in our state and across the country. Nationally, vaccination status tends to fall along party lines, with counties that voted for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election being more likely to have low rates of immunization.
“A number of people have let COVID-19 vaccine skepticism become part of their political beliefs. Both former president Donald Trump and current president Joe Biden have received the MRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the same is true for leaders in Congress,” Stover and Cretella said. “The virus will not discriminate based upon your political orientation, and there is no reason to forgo a safe and effective vaccine to make a political statement.”
The low vaccine rate is not without consequence, as Stover and Cretella explain. Mississippi has experienced more severe COVID-19 waves with both Omicron and Delta.
“The vaccines are most effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization related to COVID-19,” they said. “Our state’s low vaccine rate means that we experience more severe waves of COVID-19 infection, possibly leading to crises at local hospitals.”
In August 2021, Oxford’s Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi declared a state of internal emergency to cope with the high volume of COVID-19 cases Lafayette County was experiencing due to the Delta variant. Stover and Cretella, too, recount the difficult time they experienced during the Delta wave and now during Omicron.
“During the summer with the Delta variant, we were forced to open a field hospital in the garage outside of UMMC Jackson and now with Omicron. It is why Mississippi was initially very low on the COVID-19 deaths per-capita list initially but has caught up to some of the worst early hit states like New York and New Jersey,” they said.
The Mississippi Department of Health reported 5,940 new cases of COVID-19 and 126 deaths on Feb. 2. Seven days earlier on Jan. 26, the health department reported 6,596 new cases and 19 deaths.
Slowly, positivity rates have begun to decline but deaths, which have been shown to be a lagging indicator, are on the rise. Mississippi appears to be on the declining side of the Omicron wave. However, the threat of a new variant is ever-looming.
Stover and Cretella urge everyone who is able to get vaccinated. Though the vaccine is less effective at preventing Omicron infection compared to other variants, it is effective at preventing serious illness. Additionally, they encourage vaccinated individuals to get boosted if it has been five months since initial vaccination to restore protection against serious illness.
“Ultimately, the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your community is to be vaccinated against COVID-19,” they said.
