Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is expecting to receive around 37,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine this week from the federal government, the same allocation the state has received for the last several weeks, state Department of Health spokesperson Liz Sharlot said Tuesday.

“Of course, additional vaccine would be wonderful but for now, we are receiving what we expected,” Sharlot wrote in an email.

Sharlot said health officials haven't noticed any changes to Mississippi's vaccine allocation in the last week since newly-inaugurated President Joe Biden took office.

Mississippi is using 19 drive-thru facilities, clinics and hospitals to complete vaccinations for those 65 and older, health care workers and those who are at least 16 and have health conditions that might make them more vulnerable to the virus.

Since the state began vaccinating residents, appointments at drive-thru clinics have been limited due to high demand. As of Tuesday, 175,417 people in Mississippi have received their first dose of vaccine, and 18,012 have received their first and second dose, according to data provided by the Department of Health.

Mississippi has a population of around 3 million.

The department reported Tuesday that Mississippi had 1,452 new confirmed cases of the virus as of Monday evening. The department also reported 75 deaths Tuesday, 49 of which happened between Jan. 15 and Monday. The state has reported about 266,598 cases of the virus and 5,852 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

People eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine can try to make an appointment at COVIDvaccine.umc.edu or by calling the COVID-19 call center at 1-877-978-6453.