Q

: When will the Lincoln County Health Department have vaccines?

A

: Emergency Management Director Clifford Galey says he’s working to get it done as soon as possible.

The Lincoln County Health Department has not yet been authorized to distribute vaccines, even as coronavirus cases continue to climb into the new year.

On Thursday, the Mississippi Department of Health released its current COVID-19 statistics. There were 2,901 total cases in Lincoln County, with two new deaths. This brought the death toll to 85. The area had 171 total long-term care facility cases and 36 total LTC deaths.

Statewide, there were 1,948 new cases added overnight with 41 new deaths. There were 220 current LTC outbreaks.

Since the beginning of the pandemic last March, Mississippi has had 245,847 total COVID-19 cases and 5,356 total deaths.

With the distribution of vaccines occurring statewide, Lincoln County and Brookhaven residents are wondering when the area health department will begin vaccinating. Galey said it isn’t a possibility yet.

“I was told that Lincoln County would not get a vaccine site until they had enough people to administer vaccines,” Galey said.

Galey said he is currently working with the state health department to bring another testing site to the area. Other than King’s Daughters Medical Center, the closest site to receive a vaccine is the health department site in Pike County.

“I’m working with them trying to get it done,” Galey said.

Galey is working with the health department to bring a vaccination site here, but doesn’t know when that will happen.

“I can’t really tell,” Galey said. “I don’t have an answer for that.”