First responders in Webster County remain concerned yet optimistic after Mississippi expands access to COVID-19 vaccine

WALTHALL, Miss. (WCBI) – For close to a year, the possibility of increased exposure to COVID-19 has been yet another risk facing first responders in Mississippi.

“With the many cases that are out there, the risk is great,” said Webster County Deputy EMA Director Tom Booth, adding that that is with their crews wearing all their proper Personal Protective Equipment.

Walthall Volunteer Fire Chief Casey Henderson says that when they get dispatched to medical emergencies, they often know ahead of time exactly what kind of situation they are facing.

It’s those incidents with an unknown level of exposure that present the greater hazard.

“Your car wrecks and things like that,” Henderson said. “Whenever you’re dealing with patients that you don’t know if that person is a positive COVID patient. You don’t know their symptoms. ”

Tuesday, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced that first responders and teachers are now eligible for their first doses of the vaccine.

“The vaccinations being open for first responders is a good thing,” Henderson said. “I know we have members here in our department that want the vaccine and have been waiting on it.”

As of Wednesday, Mississippi first responders can schedule their own vaccination appointments.

But Webster County, a number of them were able to get that first shot back in January.

“The hospital facility that [provides ambulance service], they have made the vaccine available for them and they have been able to get it,” Booth said. “They were actually able to get it with the healthcare workers on the first round.”

The hospital had doses leftover after vaccinating all healthcare workers who wished to do so.

However, Booth and Henderson are among those that still have concerns about possible side effects.

“This is something that a lot of people are nervous about,” Henderson said. “I for one am nervous about this shot. I’ve talked with many others and we’re looking, you know, we want to see some numbers, we want to see data on this.”

In spite of that, both Booth and Henderson say they will likely get their shots eventually.

“If there’s something that protects my family, the community, if this is something that helps us take the step forward and getting back to some normalcy, I would not be opposed to the shot,” Henderson said.

Both the Phizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other than some minor side effects, Harvard Medical School says that the rare, severe allergic reaction connected with those vaccines occurs in just 11 cases out of every one million.