JACKSON, Miss. — Officials in Mississippi say about 2% of the coronavirus vaccinations given so far in the state have gone to people with out-of-state addresses.
Mississippi guidelines say vaccination is available to anyone 65 or older or to those who are at least 16 years old and have underlying health conditions that might make them more vulnerable to the virus.
The state’s top public health officials said Monday that the vaccination is supposed to be limited to Mississippi residents, or to people from other states who work in Mississippi. However, they said people giving the shots do not check identification or verify that out-of-state residents work in Mississippi.
The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune recently reported that Louisiana residents are traveling to Mississippi to be vaccinated because Louisiana has tighter vaccination eligibility guidelines.
According to The Associated Press, eligibility guidelines on vaccination are tighter in Louisiana.
The AP reported that the state lowered the eligibility age from 70 to 65.
On Monday, the state Health Department reported that of Sunday there were 635 new confirmed cases of the virus.