Mississippi officials lifted all eligibility requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday despite having vaccinated only a small portion of their population, having determined that the state has the ample supply needed to immunize all adults over 16.
“We still have a long way to go, and our vaccine allocations are increasing,” Mississippi state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers told reporters Tuesday. “I think the time is right for us to continue to open it up and utilize that vaccine moving forward.”
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Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Monday that every adult over 16 would be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, lifting requirements outlined in the state’s phased immunization plan that prioritized seniors and adults most vulnerable to severe infection.
“It’s a great day to be a Mississippian! If you want a shot, you can get a shot!” Reeves said Tuesday.
Mississippi has not outperformed other states in its vaccination rates. In fact, it’s among the lowest in the country, with only 20% of its population having received at least one dose and 11% fully vaccinated. Mississippi has not used distribution methods differently from other states, but Byers said Tuesday that “the sooner we get everybody vaccinated, the better.”
The state has picked up the pace of immunizations over the past few weeks to make up for lagging daily rates due to severe winter weather last month. The state health department reported that 122,672 shots were given during the week ending March 13, compared with the total of about 32,500 during the week ending Feb. 20.
Mississippi health officials have also constructed drive-thru vaccination sites to reach rural areas in the state where people who live far away from chain pharmacies would have trouble getting the shots. The state has also designated many community health centers and churches as vaccination sites in more remote areas.
“That’s one of the reasons we target our clinics,” said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “Mississippi is a rural state. If we didn’t do rural, we couldn’t do hardly anything.”
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Most states have loosened requirements for getting a vaccine in recent weeks, anticipating an influx of doses as production speeds up. In Connecticut, for example, adults 16 and older will be eligible to make an appointment for the vaccine starting April 5, about a month ahead of schedule. All Michigan adults will be eligible for the vaccine that same day, while Ohio adults 16 and older will be eligible on March 29.
To date, more than 72 million people in the United States have received at least one dose of a vaccine, or roughly a quarter of the adult population. At least 39 million people have completed a vaccination regimen.