The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses in Warren County continues to grow as hundreds of people are navigating their way through the county’s drive-thru clinic and the former Vicksburg Mall or through local doctors’ offices and clinics.

As of Saturday, more than 16,200 doses have been administered, and according to the Mississippi State Department of Health, Warren County is performing better than the state average in getting shots in arms.

According to the latest report, 11,106 people — or 24 percent of the county’s population — have received one dose of the vaccine. That is above the 20 percent the state is reporting overall. Those who have received both doses, or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in Warren County, totals 5,416, or 12 percent of the county’s population, one percent higher than the state’s 11 percent.

And as the number of residents receiving the vaccine increases, the number of new cases has trended lower. Saturday, the state reported just three new cases of COVID-19 in Warren County, pushing the total number reported in March to 80.

If March continues to average 4.0 cases per day, it would be the fourth-best month of the pandemic in regards to new cases per day. But, there is some concern among local leaders about what effect — if any — the spring break holiday will have on the recent low numbers.

Because of that concern, the city of Vicksburg and Warren County both kept their social distancing and mask mandate orders in place through at least the first week of April. The city’s orders are set to expire on April 1, while the county’s order is set to expire April 5.