Mississippi transferring allocated COVID-19 vaccines to other states as demand dwindles
Jun. 11—TUPELO — Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses originally allocated for Mississippi are being sent to other states as demand within the state dwindles, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.
More than 870,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been rerouted from Mississippi to other states, The Associated Press first reported. The doses transferred to other states and back to the federal pool were originally allocated to Mississippi; they were never shipped to the state but were available for Mississippians had there been a need for them.
But statewide demand for the vaccine hasn't come close to reaching the number of vaccines available to Mississippians. MSDH has transferred more than 800,000 allocated doses back to the federal pool, and a one-time transfer 32,400 doses each was made to Maine and Rhode Island on April 20.
The first re-allocation back to the federal pool was made on May 6. A total of 807,150 vaccine doses — 409,050 doses of Pfizer, 393,000 doses of Moderna and 5,100 doses of Johnson & Johnson — have been turned away so far.
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said during a MSDH press conference Friday afternoon that early on during the vaccination process, officials recognized that other states needed vaccine doses more than Mississippi.
"If Mississippi people don't understand how important it is to keep them alive, we want to protect other Americans," Dobbs said. "And so I was glad we were sort of able to get ahead of the federal program to help our fellow Americans in the northeast."
As of 8 a.m. June 11, just 29% of Mississippians (930,656) are fully vaccinated, while 33% (1,057,870) have received at least one dose.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mississippi is the least vaccinated state in the nation.
Only 18,461 vaccine doses were administered to Mississippians this week, compared to the 100,000-plus doses administered most weeks during late February, March and early April.
When asked whether Mississippi had accepted additional vaccine doses from the federal pool in recent weeks, Senior Deputy and Director of Health Protection Jim Craig said the state has not "drawn down any additional vaccine from the federal government over the last two weeks."
"We do have ample vaccine in Mississippi for what we have scheduled for the next couple of weeks," Craig said.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers echoed Craig's statement, saying Mississippi has plenty of vaccine doses.
"Back in January and February, the issue was that we had people clamoring for vaccine and we just didn't have doses and we were spreading them thin throughout the state," Byers said. "We've got the doses now. We need the people to line back up and come get them again."
Although demand has decreased, MSDH officials said it is easier than ever to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Due to higher summer temperatures, MSDH has transitioned the vast majority of its 19 drive-thru vaccination sites to walk-in sites in the same counties. Appointments are no longer required, but can still be scheduled online at covidvaccine.umc.edu for quicker service.
Along with the walk-in sites, there is a list of current pop-up vaccination sites available on MSDH's website under the "Vaccination Against COVID-19" section. More sites will be added in the coming weeks.
Organizations, cities, groups or individuals interested in holding a COVID-19 vaccination event in their community, particularly in rural or minority communities can called the Mississippi COVID-19 hotline at 877-978-6453 or email vaccineevent@msdh.ms.gov for more information.
