Coronavirus Vaccinations
North Mississippi Medical Clinics continues to offer COVID-19 vaccinations at select locations. Available appointment times vary from week to week. Appointments may be scheduled by calling 1-800-THE DESK (1-800-843-3375), or by using www.myconnection.org or a self-scheduling tool available at www.nmhs.net/coronavirus-vaccinations. Appointments are available for first, second and booster doses of Pfizer and second and booster doses of Moderna.
Pfizer vaccinations are available for anyone age 5 or older.
COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments Guidelines
• Patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and Treatment Received are encouraged to wait 14 days after symptoms improve.
• Patients less than 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian.
Updated November 9, 2021
COVID-19 Vaccines Available for Ages 5 and Older
COVID-19 vaccinations are now available by appointment only on designated days for ages 5 or older at 219 S. Industrial Road in Tupelo. North Mississippi Medical Clinics, which is administering the vaccine clinic, is giving Pfizer vaccinations for ages 5-11.
Patients less than 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian.
Appointments may be scheduled by calling 1-800-THE DESK (1-800-843-3375) and using www.myconnection.org or a self-scheduling tool available at www.nmhs.net/coronavirus-vaccinations. Appointments are available for first, second and third doses of Pfizer and second and third doses of Moderna.
Patients must wait 90 days after receiving monoclonal antibody therapy and are encouraged to wait 60 days after a positive COVID-19 test before receiving the vaccination.
Updated August 23, 2021
NMHS Clinics Now Offering COVID-19 Vaccination Doses to Immunocompromised Individuals
Starting August 23, North Mississippi Medical Clinics and North Mississippi Medical Center clinic locations will begin administering COVID-19 third vaccination doses to immunocompromised individuals. Individuals, who meet the criteria set by individuals, who meet the criteria set by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and received either the Pfizer or Moderna primary series, will be eligible for the booster. Individuals who received the Janssen/J&J vaccine are not eligible for a booster at this time. The CDC recommends waiting at least four weeks after a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccination before receiving a booster.
Please keep in mind that only a small percentage of the vaccinated population meets the current eligibility requirements for a booster. Your regular provider is familiar with your medical condition and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for you. If you fall within the CDC’s recommendations, please contact your regular health care provider about scheduling a vaccine. If you’re unsure whether you are eligible for the booster, contact your regular clinic to inquire about your eligibility. You may contact the clinic by phone or through the notes section of myConnection, a secure web-based or mobile application tool that provides 24/7 access to your personal medical record.
To receive a booster at one of our locations, whether it’s an affiliated clinic or one of our immunization clinics, a provider order is needed. Walgreen’s and Wal-Mart do not require a provider order. They allow individuals to attest that they are immunocompromised. Please contact those pharmacies directly or visit their websites for information specific to those locations. For other retail pharmacies’ practices, check with them directly or visit their website.
The targeted recipients for boosters are those identified by the CDC at this time. We will provide updates on how to access booster vaccines when the decision is made to extend a third dose to everyone who received either the Pfizer or Moderna series.
Who Needs an Additional COVID-19 Vaccine?
Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have:
• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
Talk to your healthcare provider about your medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for you.
What are the benefits of an immunocompromised individual receiving an additional vaccine dose?
According to the CDC, an additional dose may prevent serious and possibly life-threatening COVID-19 in people who may not have responded to their initial vaccine series. In ongoing clinical trials, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) have been shown to prevent COVID-19 following the two-dose series. Limited information suggests that immunocompromised people who have low or no protection after two doses of mRNA vaccines may have an improved response after an additional dose of the same vaccine.
NMHS Partnering with MSDH on Vaccination Rollout
Updated February 25, 2021
North Mississippi Health Services continues to battle COVID-19. We are caring for patients and family members, vaccinating employees and providing education on COVID-19 safeguards.
NMHS is working closely with the Mississippi State Department of Health in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations to the communities we serve. MSDH is allocating these resources throughout the state. We are currently providing vaccinations to our employees and providers.
COVID-19 vaccinations are now available by appointment through the MSDH.
Visit https://covidvaccine.umc.edu/ 
for more details. Individuals with questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine may call 877-978-6453.
Visit www.nmhs.net/coronavirus-vaccinations for future vaccination opportunities at NMHS locations.
Vaccination Facts:
· The COVID-19 vaccination is a two-dose series.
· The COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are not interchangeable. The vaccine requires two doses.
· The vaccine’s second dose is given at the same location to ensure accurate recordkeeping.
· Vaccinations are by appointment.
· Individuals wait 15 minutes for an observation period after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.
NMHS Encourages COVID-19 Vaccinations
Updated December 8, 2020
Our mission is to improve the health of the people of our region. Throughout this pandemic, NMHS remains dedicated to caring for those with COVID-19 and sharing information on the things that individuals can do to prevent its spread.
We have and will continue to stress the importance of wearing a face mask, maintaining physical distancing and washing your hands. The newest part of that message will be getting a COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccines play an important role in health improvement and have minimized the impact of numerous diseases. With vaccines, smallpox has been eradicated. Chickenpox and polio are nearly eliminated.
As partners in your health, we are committed to:
- Your health and safety
- Following the science
- Being transparent
The timeline for widespread vaccination has yet to be determined. However, we do ask that you remain vigilant in your safety practices. We will share updates on this all-important measure as details become available.
COVID-19 Vaccination FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccination
Will the COVID-19 vaccines give me COVID-19?
No. The vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19. The vaccine's goal is to teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity.
It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it's possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
Do I need to get vaccinated if I have already had COVID-19?
Yes. At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long.
Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about, and CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.
Will getting vaccinated help prevent me from getting sick with COVID-19?
While many people with COVID-19 have only a mild illness, others may get a severe illness, or they may even die. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you, even if you are not at increased risk of severe complications. If you get sick, you also may spread the disease to friends, family and others around you while you are sick. COVID-19 vaccination helps protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience sickness.
Do I need to wear a mask after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?
Yes. CDC recommends that during the pandemic people wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth when in contact with others outside your household, when in healthcare facilities, and when receiving any vaccine, including a COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone who has trouble breathing or is unable to remove a mask without assistance should not wear a mask.
If I have already had COVID-19 and recovered, do I still need to get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine?
There is not enough information currently available to say if or for how long after infection someone is protected from getting COVID-19 again; this is called natural immunity. Early evidence suggests natural immunity from COVID-19 may not last very long, but more studies are needed to better understand this.
Why would a vaccine be needed if we can do other things, like social distancing and wearing masks, to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading?
Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools available. Vaccines work with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. Other steps, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask and staying at least 6 feet away from others, help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC's recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.
Do I need to wear a mask and avoid close contact with others if I have received two doses of the vaccine?
Yes. While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to us to help stop this pandemic, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask, washing hands often, and staying at least 6 feet away from others.>/p>
Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC's recommendations for how to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19. Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide before deciding to change recommendations on steps everyone should take to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision.
What is a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine?
mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Not mRNA vaccines. Instead, they teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies.
Click here for more information on mRNA vaccines.
