Mar 15, 2021 - Health

Mississippi makes COVID-19 vaccine available to all residents

Shawna Chen

Photo of Tate Reeves speaking into a microphone from behind a podium with the American flag in the backdrop — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R). Photo: Ken Cedeno/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

All Mississippi residents will be eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine starting Tuesday, Gov. Tate Reeves (R) announced Monday.

Why it matters: President Biden has called on states to designate all adults eligible by May 1. Mississippi is the second state after Alaska to open up the vaccine to people ages 16 and older.

Details: Almost 10,000 appointments will be available in the next three weeks, according to Reeves.

The state has already extended eligibility to cover everyone 50 or older. The governor urged those residents to "Lock [appointments] down TODAY!" on Twitter.
"Get your shot friends - and let’s get back to normal!" Reeves tweeted.
No vaccine has been authorized yet for children in the U.S. so likely only those 16 and over are eligible.

The big picture: About 20% of Mississippians have gotten at least one shot as of Sunday, per a New York Times tracker. 11% have been fully vaccinated.

On Monday, Connecticut also announced plans to open the vaccine to everyone 16 and older by April 5, the Hartford Courant reports.

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Mississippi makes COVID-19 vaccine available to all residents

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