FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CITY OF JACKSON VACCINATION DAY RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 6th
Special Event Initially Postponed Due to Winter Weather Aims to Reach City’s Most Vulnerable Residents by Administering 2,000 Covid-19 Vaccine Doses in One Day
(JACKSON, MS) – TODAY, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced that Saturday, March 6, 2021, would be the official new date for the City of Jackson’s highly anticipated Vaccination Day event which had to be postponed due to recent winter storms. Together with a host of dedicated local health partners the City has arranged to administer 2,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to Jackson residents during this special one-day event at the Jackson Convention Complex. The effort specifically aims to reach seniors and other vulnerable residents and is a direct response to concerns of limited access to vaccines within the City of Jackson, the state’s most populous municipality with a near 85 percent Black population.
The Vaccination Day event will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Jackson residents must call to register in advance and meet state eligibility requirements in order to receive their first vaccination dose. State guidelines recently expanded to include teachers and public safety personnel in addition to adults 65 and over and those with certain chronic health conditions as being eligible for vaccination at this time. All participants receiving their first dose at the event will be eligible and registered to receive their second dose on March 27th before leaving the event.
To learn more, save a spot, or save a spot for a loved one, Jackson residents must call one of three hotlines. Volunteers will be on hand to assist with registration and confirmation of eligibility. Spots are first come, first served and will run out quickly.
Phone lines will re-open on Monday, March 1st from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and will remain open Tuesday, March 2ndthrough Friday March 5th from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day or until all appointments are filled.
- Hotline 1: 601.446.3778
- Hotline 2: 601.446.3566
- Hotline 3: 601.906.6648
Masks will be required by all in attendance and social distancing guidelines will be strictly observed. Only those registered will be permitted to enter the event. Special “curb-side” accommodations will be provided for those with mobility issues.
“The best chance we have at beating Covid-19 and returning to some semblance of normalcy is to make sure that we all get vaccinated,” said Mayor Lumumba. “This should start with our most vulnerable populations. However, in Jackson, so many of our residents, especially our elders, have limited access to technology and are neither able to register for a vaccine online, nor able to travel outside our City limits to get one. Further, many community resources that would normally help to bridge these gaps are closed or limited in capacity due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“We recognize that 2,000 doses merely scratch the surface of what needs to be accomplished, but it is a start and we are working to make even more doses available in Jackson. We are thankful to the Covid-19 Task Force, Dr. Dobbs, Dr. Quinn, Dr. Phillips, Dr. Reeves, Hinds Community College, and so many more for working with us to make this day possible. And, we look forward to continued partnership to ensure every Jacksonian has access to a vaccine.”
Among the many local partners and health providers responsible for helping the City to coordinate, staff and administer 2,000 vaccines during Jackson’s first Vaccination Day are, the Mayor’s Covid 19 Task Force, the Mississippi State Department of Health, Hinds Community College, the Mississippi Medical and Surgical Association, Merit Health, Visit Jackson, Jackson Public Schools, Dr. Errick Greene, the City of Jackson Employee Clinic, Turner Health Care, Jackson State University College of Health Sciences, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Jackson Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, Quinn Healthcare, Dr. Vonda Reeves, Dr. Hursie Davis Sullivan, Overtime Sports, Bilal Qizilbash, Jackson Fire Department, Jackson Police Department, the Department of Human and Cultural Services, the Department of Parks and Recreation, Amerigroup and the Oak View Group team at the Jackson Convention Center Complex who are assisting with insights from vaccine distributions at their other Southern U.S. properties.
Call for Volunteers:
It is not possible to pull off an event such as this without an army of dedicated volunteers. As such, the City is also calling for volunteers to help with day of event logistics from registration to guides to runners and more. Interested persons must be available from 8:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday, March 6th to help run the event, as well as for an in-person training on Friday, March 5th beginning at 3:00pm. To volunteer, email: volunteer@jackson.gov or call 601-960-2324.
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