Dobbs: Survey shows 73% of Mississippians are for COVID-19 vaccines. 10% are against.

Mississippi health officials talked tackling vaccine hesitancy, the recent pause of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot and the state's COVID-19 cases during a Friday afternoon discussion.

Vaccine hesitancy among residents looks different now than it did back in December when the shots first came into Mississippi, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said Friday.

"Seventy-three percent of Mississippians are a 'yes' on vaccines," he said, citing a recent trust survey. "Only 10% are a 'no.'"

While vaccine hesitancy is waning, Dobbs said continuing to get residents vaccinated will become more of a ground campaign where medical providers go door-to-door.

That would include looking into opening walk-up vaccination options at clinics and having medical providers vaccinate at jails, nursing homes and houses of homebound people.

Many people want to get vaccinations from their doctors, State Epidemiologist Paul Byers said Friday. He urged the 1,400 enrolled physicians in the state who can receive vaccines to keep requesting them. 

Byers and Dobbs, though, said despite halting use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six women reported rare blood clots, there is enough of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in the state to inoculate residents.

Johnson & Johnson pause:MS health officer: Blood clots from Johnson & Johnson shots 'extremely rare'

Johnson & Johnson vaccines "are a minority of total vaccines we've received," Byers said.

Dobbs reiterated the rare blood clot disorder — cerebral venous sinus thrombosis — has no association to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. 

The CDC and FDA's halt of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine shows the magnitude of their safety focus, Dobbs said. He added that another case was identified in one man. Mississippians do not account for any of the seven cases.

When Mark Horne, Mississippi State Medical Association president, has a patient who got the Johnson & Johnson shot ask him if they should be worried, he tells them it's OK.

"It's exceptionally rare," he said. "It's an exuberant bit of caution. Your risk from COVID was greater than your risk from the vaccine."

Of the over seven million people who got the Johnson & Johnson shot, seven cases makes it a less than a one in a million chance of having the severe reaction. 

It's important remember severe reactions after being vaccinated that are reported to the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System does not mean the two are directly associated, Byers said.

COVID-19 cases in the state

Coronavirus cases have stayed relatively low, Byers said, comparing it to earlier in the year.

On Friday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 216 new COVID-19 cases and 12 coronavirus-related deaths.

Of the 78 Mississippians who got COVID-19 after they were fully vaccinated and past two-week wait period, people were mostly asymptomatic and went to get tested after being in contact with known positive cases, Byers said.

"We've got more than 600,000 fully vaccinated and we've identified about 80 cases of (positive cases in vaccinated people)," he said "It still demonstrates that the vaccine is highly effective."

COVID-19 in Mississippi:7-day takeaway: COVID-19 Cases and deaths increase, 22% of Mississippians fully vaccinated

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