Which vaccine is the safest?

All three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States are safe and effective. You just have to choose which one you’d prefer. You can find plenty of information for comparing them here.

How many children ages 5-12 have died from COVID-19 in Mississippi and in the entire country?

Three children between the ages of 0-4 have died from COVID-19 in Mississippi. Six children between the ages of 5-17 have died.Sorry I couldn’t answer your question precisely. This is just how MSDH reports the data.

What is the upshot of the surges overseas? What does it mean or possibly mean for us?

The vaccination rates and public measures to limit virus spread vary so widely from country to country that it’s difficult to make any sort of domestic predictions based off of that information.

The state’s vaccination rate hasn’t moved much, and the deadline for college and university personnel’s vaccination requirement fulfillment is approaching in early December. I work for one. What impact could the ending of the state of emergency have if more people remain unvaccinated?

You can read all about what the end of the state of emergency means for Mississippi’s COVID-19 response here.

Personally, I’m concerned about whether or not hospitals will be able to efficiently coordinate without the state of emergency if we experience another winter surge of infections. I don’t think we’re going to see anything like we saw in August, but the mass exodus of healthcare workers means that any strain on the healthcare system is going to be more pronounced than it would be if we hadn’t lost so much of that workforce.

Where do we go to get our children vaccinated?

You can schedule an appointment through UMMC’s vaccine scheduler and find a county health department site here.

What’s the side effects for children age 6?

You can find information on possible side effects here.

Why should a child take a vaccine when they don’t get sick and don’t die? According to the data, more children die of the seasonal flu than COVID-19.

Children do get sick and do die from COVID-19. It might seem like a small number to you, but that doesn’t matter when it’s your child on a ventilator. Dozens of children have been and are currently hospitalized at Children’s of Mississippi Hospital due to severe complications related to a COVID-19 infection. Some of them will deal with the impacts for the rest of their lives. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks to children.

Which should I get first flu or booster, and how long should I wait between?

You can get them in whatever order you want, and you could get them both in the same day if you wanted to. You’d just have to get shots in different arms if that were the case.

Are the number of children under age 18 a part of the state’s residents who are the 46% fully vaccinated?

Yes!

How can we schedule a booster shot if we had the J&J vaccine?

Check with your doctor, a pharmacy, or other vaccination provider about getting a J&J booster dose. You can find one by using this link. You can also get a mRNA booster if you want to. You don’t have to get a J&J booster just because it was your primary vaccination.

Not an antivaxer. Got virtually every vaccination out there. But heard some say that the COVID vaccinations with spike protein can affect immune system over a period of time, so people will be unable to fight off future viruses.

This is blatant misinformation. The vaccines are safe and effective! Here’s how it works, per CDC. The vaccine tells our cells to produce a harmless piece of the spike protein. The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. After the protein piece is made, our cells break down the mRNA and remove it. Next, our cells display the spike-protein piece on their surface. Our immune system recognizes that the protein doesn’t belong there. This triggers our immune system to produce antibodies and activate other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection. This is what your body might do to fight off the infection if you got sick with COVID-19.

What’s the real truth about how many people hospitalized in Mississippi are fully vaccinated? Also what are the numbers as pertaining to deaths and being vaccinated?

Per MDSH data, between Sept. 17-Oct. 14, 94% of COVID-19 cases, 87% of hospitalizations and 89% of deaths were among people not vaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

How many different strains of COVID-19 currently exist and what are the names? Additionally, how do you think Mississippi is doing with regards to the spread of it?

Right now, the Delta variant accounts for virtually all COVID-19 cases in MS. It’s stronger and more transmissible than any other variant that has emerged. You can view MSDH data on variants here. I am cautiously optimistic about the downward trend our infection and death counts are on. I do wish more Mississippians would take the safe and effective vaccine.

Should an 83-year-old white female in good health that has gotten both Moderna shots get the booster when available?

Yes! A booster will dramatically increase your antibody levels and give you greater protection against contracting breakthrough infection and the worst outcomes of you were to contract one.

Do you know anything about Mississippi State mental health visitation rights? My mother is in the state hospital and lives in Texas. They are only allowing visitation during the weekday. Prior COVID visitation was everyday. I was able to visit on the weekend. Do you have any state guidelines on MS visitation rights?

I’m sorry that this visitation policy is keeping you from seeing your mother.A patient in MS has the right to receive visitors and make phone calls, subject to the general rules of the treatment facility. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s COVID-19 guidance acknowledges that visitation may be curtailed during the pandemic.

I am 75. I had my Moderna vaccine January and February. Can I get a Moderna booster now?

You cannot get one yet, but will be able to soon. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously Thursday in favor of authorizing booster shots of the Moderna vaccine to people 65 and older, those 18 to 64 with risk factors for severe Covid-19, and those whose jobs put them at high risk for serious complications of Covid-19, such as health care workers. The FDA is not bound by the votes of its advisory committees, which it convenes to ask for guidance, but it generally follows their advice.

I was wondering what it is the rate of vaccinated that are being hospitalized with Covid? What is the numbers of deaths in MS that are fully vaccinated and cause of death as Covid?

Between Sept 3-30 in MS, 12% of COVID-related hospitalizations and 13% of deaths were among vaccinated people.

What period did your COVID-19 report include for today?

Monday reports from MSDH include the totals for Friday-Sunday.

Is the Pfizer booster shot the same dose as the first or second shot that was given to us? 

Yes, the Pfizer booster is the same as the first and second doses you received. Moderna boosters might end up being half-doses, but we don’t know yet.

Hi. I was exposed last Wednesday. CDC website says since I’m doubly vaccinated that I can be in public but wear a mask. It also says to be tested in 35 days. My doctor doesnt test without symptoms even when exposed unless symptomatic. Does each clinicdoctor set their own guidelines?  

Because of a test shortage, many smaller clinics are limiting who can be tested for COVID-19. Luckily, you can still get a free test at county health department locations.  Find more information here.

If researcher is leaning towards Pfizer vaccine losing effectiveness/dismal antibodies present after 7 or 8 months, will booster vaccines be suggested every 8 months or yearly?  

Yes, it is likely that COVID shots will eventually become annual, like the flu shot.

I live in Jones County.  I do not have any medical insurance.  Where can I get my COVID booster shot?  

You can get your booster at the Jones County Health Department. You can schedule an appointment online at covidvaccine.umc.edu or by phone by calling (877) 978-6453.

I had an exposure five days ago. I tested negative yesterday. I would like to get the booster but am unsure how long I should wait.  

You don’t need to wait if you tested negative!

Mississippi has a vaccinated percentage of 44.  What can we do in Mississippi to increase that percentage?

All you can do as an individual (besides getting vaccinated yourself) is to encourage your friends and family to get vaccinated. It seems small, but it really does help.

 Do I pay for the booster shot?

No, boosters are free.

When will Moderna 70 be able to get a booster?

The CDC has not made any recommendations concerning booster shots for recipients of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but officials say those may come soon. The Moderna vaccine uses similar technology as the Pfizer vaccine, and the company has applied for FDA authorization of booster shots. We will keep you updated as the landscape around booster doses changes.

I was in the phase of the rollout for people not 65 but people with a condition that made them heightened risk for hospitizilations, serious illness not necessarily immunocompromised. It think it was phase 2b on MSDH’s plan. When can we get a booster? Or has CDC, Biden, MSDH decided against extending it to people in this category?

Pfizer recipients under the age of 65 who are at high risk because of underlying medical conditions are eligible for a third dose. You can schedule one through MSDH’s vaccine scheduler at covidvaccine.umc.edu.

If you get the vaccine and then get COVID, do you still have a chance of being in the hospital and on the ventilator?

Yes, but a smaller chance than if you had been unvaccinated. For example, between Aug. 27-Sept. 23, 87% of COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths in Mississippi were among the unvaccinated.

Will, where is the best compiled list if such exists of health facilities statewide that offer Monoclonal Antibodies treatment? Being an 8-year resident of and observer of health conundrums in MS, my assumption and fear is that that you will answer, “There is no such publicly available resource.” Would be thrilled to be proved wrong. Thanks.

Thankfully, you are wrong. You can find a list of all MS facilities providing MAB treatments here.

Hi, Will. Why is it that so many healthcare workers, current and retired, are reluctant to get the COVID vaccine? Do they know something we lay people don’t know?

I don’t have an answer for that, unfortunately. Vaccine hesitancy has many root causes, and workers are not immune to vaccine misinformation. However, the vast majority of healthcare workers in MS have taken the vaccine willingly. The American Medical Association has found that 96% of practicing physicians are vaccinated. I think the better question is why that small percentage of holdouts think they know better than nearly all the doctors in America.

Hi, Will. What is the percentage of MS who remains unvaccinated?

Forty-nine percent of eligible Mississippians (age 12 and up) remain unvaccinated, per CDC data.

If you can get COVID after you have the shot, then why take it?

The vaccine does not completely eliminate the risk of infection, hospitalization or death from COVID-19, but it dramatically reduces that risk. For example, between Aug. 27-Sept.23, 97% of cases and 87% of COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths in Mississippi were among the unvaccinated.

When is a good time to schedule the booster with the flu pneumonia shot? Should they be spaced out with time in between them?

You can take them at the same time. No need to space them out, out get them in any particular oder. if you got them on the same day, you’d just have to get them injected into opposite arms.

Any news on called meeting of the legislature?

No news on a special session yet, but we will keep you updated when/if one is called by the governor.

What are the long term effects 2 years plus of the COVID vaccines?

No one knows that yet. The vaccines haven’t even been available for one year, so there’s no data or efficacy or effects two years out.

What’s the total amount of COVID-19 cases since the reupsurge in MS?

Since July 1, there have been 162,489 COVID-19 infections confirmed in MS. This is 33.5% of the total cases seen in the state since March 2020.

Is it true approximately 40 of eligible Mississippians are vaccinated?

Yes! Per CDC data, 40% of Mississippians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 48% of those who are eligible to be vaccinated (12 and up) are fully vaccinated.

Can I take the Moderna booster if my first 2 vaccine shots were Pfizer?

At this time, Pfizer is the only vaccine authorized for booster doses.

What are physicians’ recommendations for taking the COVID-19 vaccine boosters at the same time as the flu and pneumonia vaccines? Should they be administered at different times?

You can get them at the same time. Initially, the CDC recommended spacing out the timing, but that guidance has changed.

How likely is it for a vaccinated person to spread the delta variant of COVID-19?

Fully vaccinated people with symptomatic breakthrough Delta infections can spread the virus to others. However, vaccinated people appear to spread the virus for a shorter time. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people that are infected with Delta have similar viral loads (the amount of virus in their bodies) but that amount decreases quicker if they’re vaccinated.