Pemberton Mall chosen as drive-thru vaccination site

Published 9:14 pm Thursday, January 21, 2021

Vicksburg is set to become a COVID vaccine drive-thru sight, but when that will occur is still unknown.

This news was reported Thursday afternoon during a Mississippi Department of Health media press briefing via Zoom.

The briefing was held in regards to the COVID-19 vaccination availability in Mississippi with State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers and Senior Deputy and Director of Health Protection Jim Craig speaking to the issue.

The Vicksburg Post asked when Warren County would be receiving more vaccines.

Dobbs, who had said earlier in the briefing that Mississippi has never been promised a steady stream of vaccines, made it clear the state is working as hard as they can to get the vaccine to everyone.

“We did identify Warren County as a soft spot and did find some key partners to share vaccines with this week – a sizable amount I would say, but it’s not going to be enough. People are always going to want more until we get far down into this,” Dobbs said.

While Warren County has a lower percentage of residents that have been vaccinated as compared to the state average, Dobbs said there are some counties in worse shape.

This week, doses of the vaccine were sent to the Medical Associates of Vicksburg as well as to the Jackson-Hinds Vicksburg-Warren Family Health Center, located on Mission Park Drive.

Dobbs felt like the supply that reached the two medical facilities this week helped make a dent in the number of people vaccinated in the county with other “activities planned.”

On Wednesday, city of Vicksburg and Warren County representatives, the local emergency manager and others met with Craig about opening up a drive-thru site in the county.

“Folks there are very interested in trying to develop a site,” Craig said. “Pemberton Mall is the site chosen. So we are working aggressively to prepare that site so we will have Warren County opened as one of the geographical areas in the coming weeks.”

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’