In the News

When it comes to getting the coronavirus vaccine, Mississippi residents have an abundance of options. But public health experts say the pileup of unclaimed appointments in the state exposes something more worrisome: the large number of people who are reluctant to get inoculated.

As the majority of adults in the country now sit on the cusp of eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccines, the U.S. is shifting into the first real-world test of Americans’ acceptance of the inoculations.

Gov. Greg Abbott lifted a statewide mask mandate and allowed businesses to operate at full capacity, with no limits, starting March 10. So far, the state hasn’t seen a rise in cases since businesses fully reopened, but public health officials say it’s too soon to tell.

Roderic Pettigrew, MD, PhD, executive dean of Engineering Medicine (EnMed), urges minorities to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when it becomes available to them. “This vaccine is not another Tuskegee,” he says.

As the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine ramps up across the United States, women of childbearing age have emerged as a surprising roadblock to efforts to halt the pandemic by achieving herd immunity.