First Lady Jill Biden talks COVID-19 vaccine safety, effectiveness during a Jackson visit

First Lady Jill Biden visited Mississippi — the least vaccinated state — on Tuesday to talk vaccine safety and effectiveness and to promote the shot she called "a miracle."

Biden's visit to Jackson was one leg of the Biden administration's nationwide tour to encourage the millions of Americans who still aren't vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so. 

Mississippi's vaccination rate of 30% is the lowest among the states and 15% below the national average. 

Joined by Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Biden toured a vaccination site at Jackson State University after a 2 p.m. arrival at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport. Jackson State University — one of the largest HBCUs in the country — has hosted multiple vaccination events specifically aimed at increasing inoculation rates among Black Mississippians. 

“Thank you everybody for coming and doing this. We're really working hard to get people vaccinated," Biden told a handful of Mississippians waiting to receive a dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine inside the school's engineering building.

Biden held the hand of 13-year-old Christian Lyles of Byram, who said he was afraid of needles. "I am too," Biden told him.

The first lady moved on to the building's foyer to address a roomful of state and local officials. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, Biden said, adding that it's vaccinations that have allowed masks to come off and people to gather more normally again.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there, a lot of questions,” Biden said. “And as a teacher, as a mom, as a nana, I wanted to give people the best answers I could.”

The vaccines' rapid development has been a point of hesitancy among Black  Americans. Biden addressed this issue, noting the safety standards the vaccination has been held to, and the years of research conducted even before COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. 

"The vaccines may feel like a miracle, but there’s no faith required," she said. 

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Thompson said Tuesday he hopes Biden's visit will bring an uptick in the state's vaccination rate,  which has been in decline for several weeks.

“As we all know, we have a real poor vaccination rate (in Mississippi),” Thompson said. “Hopefully, the First Lady’s visit can spark some interest in our citizens to get vaccinated.”

Thompson said he feels there is more hesitancy among residents in the state who haven’t yet gotten a shot because they may not be aware of the general safety of the vaccines. Resources are also a factor, he said.

“At the federal level, we have stepped up to provide 100% funding to get communities vaccinated, but Mississippi has chosen not to take advantage of it,” he said. “Hopefully … this will inspire them to access the FEMA funds.”

Lumumba said Tuesday the fact that the Biden administration has chosen to visit cities directly highlights the severity and need for more residents to be vaccinated.

“Here in Mississippi, we’re falling woefully short (on vaccinations),” he said. 

While the state has nearly reached vaccine parity among white and Black Mississippians, there's still more work to be done.

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Several Mississippi counties still do not have even 25% of residents fully vaccinated. 

“I’m asking all the people who can hear my voice and see my face to get your shot,” Biden said.

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