Mississippi May Be a Harbinger of What Vaccine Hesitancy Could Look Like in Other States

On April 8, more 70,000 appointments were available for Mississippians to receive a COVID-19 vaccination; however, many in the state are declining to be inoculated. With large populations of Republican voters and Black residents—two groups with higher than average levels of vaccine skepticism—Mississippi—with a vaccination rate of 25%—is behind the national average rate of 33%. The state opened vaccination to all adults in mid-March. Public health officials note that 70% to 90% of Americans need to be vaccinated in order to create herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2. As the nation opens up COVID-19 immunization opportunities to more people, some states are experiencing less demand and therefore oversupply of COVID-19 vaccines. Click here to read more.