Mississippi State Department of Health officials announced on Tuesday that all drive-thru vaccination sites in the state will be closed on Wednesday due to forecasted storms, resulting in thousands of appointments being rescheduled.
Strong storms are expected to move into the northeast Mississippi area to continue through late Wednesday night. Most of the northeast Mississippi area is at a moderate risk level, also known as a level 4 out of 5. The most severe part of the storm is expected in Oxford around Wednesday afternoon.
The main threats of the storm include tornadoes, significant damaging winds and large hail, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.
On Tuesday, Mississippi opened up vaccinations for the coronavirus to all residents of the state who are ages 18 and up. While Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the state will allow all residents to be vaccinated, the University of Mississippi still only allows employees to receive the vaccine on campus in the Tad Smith Coliseum COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
According to the MSDH, as of Tuesday, 904,289 vaccines have been administered throughout the state. 592,500 people have received at least one dose, while 329,992 have received both doses. Throughout Lafayette County, 22,521 doses have been administered.
