Vaccines now available to all

All Mississippians are now eligible to take COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Gov. Tate Reeves made the announcement Monday that everyone in Mississippi may call and make an appointment to have the vaccination shot starting Tuesday.

“Almost 10,000 appointments are available statewide over next three weeks,” Reeves said on Twitter. “Starting tomorrow (Tuesday), all new appointments will be open to all Mississippians.  Get your shot friends  - and let’s get back to normal!”

Also, there are now more than 300,000 reported cases in Mississippi since March 2020.

As of Monday, the Mississippi Health Department reported that Kemper County has had 927 reported cases of COVID-19 since March 2020, an increase of 12 cases since last Monday.

There have been 24 COVID-19 related deaths in Kemper County, an increase by one since last week.

The governor has rescinded his mask ordinance. However, the Kemper County board of supervisors still have its county-wide mask ordinance in place until April 5.

It is strongly advised by health officials that people wear masks when they are out in public and social distancing is strongly urged.

To register for an appointment at a Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) drive-through site, visit https://covidvaccine.umc.edu or call the MSDH COVID-19 Hotline at 1-877-978-6453 for additional assistance.

Follow MSDH by e-mail and social media at HealthyMS.com/connect.

The rate of the number of new cases increased across the state this past week. According to health department numbers, there were 3,299 new cases reported in Mississippi in the past week. There have been 300,881 cases reported in Mississippi since March 2020, and 6,903 reported deaths, an increase of 95 since last week.aThe Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) advises Mississippians to please be patient when visiting the drive-through vaccination sites. Please arrive for your vaccination appointment 15 minutes early, and please keep to your assigned appointment time.