Dobbs paints grim picture as COVID-19 cases rise

Dobbs paints grim picture as COVID-19 cases rise

Posted

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs painted a grim picture Tuesday for Mississippi in response to increasing positive cases in COVID-19 that he attributes to lack of social distancing by residents. 

On Tuesday, 957 new cases and 44 new deaths were reported in the state.

A new public health order set to go in effect Thursday will limit elective procedures in hospitals in six counties — Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Jones, Forrest and Washington.

He said there are patients who have transported to out-of-state hospitals because there are no available beds. 

“We’re running out of ICU beds,” he said. “It’s happening now. This is not a future state, it’s a now state. My greatest fear is starting to be realized. People in ERs across the state who can’t get a bed, we’re sending them out of state.”

Dobbs said they are seeing an increase in cases in the 18-29 year-old age group.

“Some people aren’t hearing the message, some people are denying the message and some people are actively combating the message,” he said. “It’s getting worse. It gets worse every day.”

He pointed to recent large gatherings over the Fourth of July weekend that will likely result in more outbreaks, just as they experienced some after Memorial Day.

He said all Mississippians can do is “ride this wave” and wait until next spring or summer when it’s gone.

“We are gonna be in a sea of outbreaks,” he said. “Just honestly, a whole state full of outbreaks everywhere. We’re dismayed to see people not following the rules.”

When asked about the upcoming fall school term, he said they want to do everything to support safe education before pointing the finger again at people not social distancing, saying they don’t have enough patience to support critical citizens like children and seniors. 

Neshoba County’s 14-day average is up from 6.4 a day to 7.7 a day this week, though it’s nearly half of the 13 cases per day reported three weeks ago.

The state’s death rate has been cut by 31% since May, data show, but hospitalizations, ICU cases and ventilator usage has risen.

As of Monday, Neshoba had 992 confirmed cases of the virus, with 91 of those cases in long-term care facilities. There have been 71 deaths here attributed to the virus, with 10 of those coming from long-term care facilities. 

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has reported a total of 959 positive cases among tribal members, with nearly half of those coming from the Pearl River community. Conehatta had 137 cases, with Standing Pine accounting for 115 cases. The Tribe has tested 2,756 members, with 1729 negative results. Of the positive cases, 715 have recovered, 69 have died and 24 were hospitalized. 






Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions