GULFPORT, Mississippi (WLOX) – A constant stream of people waited patiently in remote corporate offices on Saturday morning at the Good Deeds Community Center. The wait was for COVID-19 vaccines.

“Everyone was taking one and I thought I might as well,” said Orange Grove resident General Johnson.

Seeing the demand for the shot made Johnson more comfortable rolling up his sleeve for his first dose, despite his fear of needles.

“Better to have a chance than not to,” he said.

Other people got their last shots, like Gulfport City Councilor Kenneth “Truck” Casey.

“I feel safer for this third shot because I engage with a lot of different people and who knows what’s going on in the air and with other different people,” Casey said.

Memorial Hospital not only set up the vaccination site, but also had staff on site for blood sugar tests and blood pressure checks. There was also health information on BMI, breast cancer, and other medical conditions for everyone who walked through the door.

“It is so important because of high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and especially sickle cell anemia, that we have the opportunity to bring (the health fair) directly to your neighborhoods so that we remove all the apologies, ”Gulfport Councilwoman told Ella Holmes-Hines.

The purpose of the site was the same as other health fairs in North Gulfport – to meet communities in need within walking or cycling distance.

“We’re trying to be as convenient as possible and bring it to one of our neighborhood centers,” Harrison County Supervisor Kent Jones said.

It is an effort that sees value in the community as a whole.

“If we can be better informed about how we can take better care of our people, that’s a good thing,” said Alexander Lawson, resident of North Gulfport.

Leaders in southern Mississippi say they will continue to fight for accessibility to vaccines and health care in low-income neighborhoods in the region. These efforts come as Mississippi sits above the national average for COVID-19 vaccination rates among black residents.

Right now, the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination rate in the black community is 33.8%, according to the CDC. In Mississippi, the vaccination rate for black residents of the state is 43.3%.

“We are doing better as an African American race,” said Holmes-Hines.

It comes after Mississippi lags in vaccination rates among racial minorities, with vaccines becoming more readily available. Today, the state’s Asian community has a 72.7% vaccination rate, Hispanics have a 37.7% vaccination rate, and whites have a 43.3% vaccination rate.

Health fair organizers attribute the success of the black community to elected officials, healthcare workers, religious leaders and vaccinated family members who are advocating for the coup.

“I’m just telling them to go because it’s better for their health,” said Roscoe Washington, a resident of Gulfport. “People have been sick, dying from (COVID-19). So the best thing to do is get shot. “

And while the fair’s organizers understand there are still vaccine skeptics statewide, they hope more people realize that the potential side effects of the vaccine far outweigh the harms. of non-vaccination.

“I’m waiting until I get the encore before it’s over,” Johnson said.

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