COVID-19 Vaccines: Who Qualifies?

Vaccinations Underway As State Grapples With Logistics

by Julian Mills and Nick Judin

For many of the most vulnerable Mississippians, the COVID-19 vaccine has arrived. There are a number of ways you can schedule your vaccine, but the process may take time. More Mississippians are waiting for the vaccine than the present supply allows. Still, new availabilities open up on a daily basis. If you qualify, continue checking back regularly.

Who Qualifies?

Age 18-64 with medical condition

Cancer; Chronic kidney disease; COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease); Down Syndrome; Heart conditions (heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy); Immunocompromised state (solid organ transplant); Obesity, Pregnancy, Sickle cell disease, Smoking, Diabetes, Any other medical conditions as determined by your medical provider.

Age 65 and up

All Mississippians 65 years of age and older automatically qualify for vaccinations, with no underlying conditions necessary.

Healthcare Workers

All healthcare workers, including support staff such as technicians, contractual staff, food service employees and others, qualify for the vaccine.

SOURCE: MSDH

Which Vaccine?

Pfizer ~95% Efficacy - Second Dose 3 weeks after 1st

Moderna ~94.5% Efficacy - Second Dose 4 weeks after 1st

Both of the vaccines that are widely available provide virtually equivalent protection. 94-95% efficacy means that two groups were compared in largescale trials last year. The unvaccinated (control) group received a placebo, and caught the virus at roughly 20 times the rate as the vaccinated group. Just as importantly, of the 21 severe cases of COVID-19 among both trials, only a single case had been vaccinated.

Your second dose should be scheduled at the same location, and for the same brand of vaccine as the first.

If you miss your ideal second-dose window, don’t panic. Getting your second dose within several weeks of the optimal day shows only a minor reduction in effectiveness.

Thus far, MSDH has detected only an extremely small number of minor allergic reactions to the vaccine. Still, everyone should wait between 15-30 minutes after their shot to make sure they don’t have an adverse reaction to the vaccine. Emergency care for any allergic reaction is provided at all vaccination sites.

How Long Do I Wait at the Vaccination Site after My Shot?

15 minutes (No history of allergic anaphylaxis)

30 minutes (Previous allergic anaphylaxis events)

If you have already had COVID-19, you can still be eligible after your ten-day isolation period if your symptoms have significantly improved.

MSDH Drive-Through Clinics

The simplest way is to schedule an appointment with a drive-through clinic in your area.

Appointments are available online at https://covidvaccine.umc.edu/.

Over the phone, appointments and inquiries may be made at 877-978-6453 and 601-965-4071.

Often, significant new vaccine supplies are announced at Gov. Tate Reeves’ semi-regular COVID-19 briefings.

It may be worthwhile to set up phone notifications for the governor’s Facebook livestreams at https://www.facebook.com/tatereeves. As cancellations occur, more appointments become available. Continue to check back if you cannot schedule your first or second dose.

Private Clinics

Private clinics have had the option to request doses of COVID-19 for some time now. In order to receive additional allocations, clinics must use 65% of their allocations. Call your local health-care clinics to see their current availability, and if they expect to qualify for additional doses.