Memorial holds more vaccination events on Coast

With the number of COVID cases on the rise in South Mississippi, Memorial Hospital in Gulfport has opened more vaccination sites to help increase the population of vaccinated Coast residents.

As of today, Memorial Hospital is reporting 29 COVID-19 patients, nine of which are in the ICU.

With the delta variant popping up across the nation and the state, Memorial hosted 14 different vaccine sites across four counties in South Mississippi this week, in addition to equipping more of its clinics with vaccines.

Memorial’s Manager of Advance Practice Providers Kristian Spear says they’ve recently seen an uptick of vaccinations in students and those under 40 who previously were on the edge about the vaccine. “Over the past week, we have seen an increase in cases in every county across the state. People that were previously reluctant to get their vaccines are now reaching out to several of our clinics, coming to our events to get their vaccination. Plus, school is starting soon, so I think a lot of 12 and up that can get vaccinated, parents that were a little uneasy about getting the vaccine at first are now on board with it. So, we have seen an increase in vaccination rates in the past– I would say two weeks.”

Spear assures access to vaccines is not a problem. To schedule an appointment, call 228-867-5000. Several clinics are also accepting walk-ins as well.