Dobbs hints at a rough few weeks in the fight against COVID-19

VICKSBURG, Miss. (Vicksburg Daily News) – The state of Mississippi may experience a rough patch in the weeks ahead in the battle against COVID-19, WLBT reports.

According to State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, there are 13 hospitals in Mississippi that no longer have intensive care units. The rising number of infections seen in the state and an increase in hospitalization rates have health officials concerned about the death tolls going up in the next few weeks.

The new Delta variant of the coronavirus has sparked new guidance from health officials. Dobbs recently stated the Delta variant is more contagious than the previous Alpha variant which hit the state last year. Guidance from the Mississippi State Department of Health was recently released for K-12 schools in preparation for the new school year.

“When we went through the spring, May going into June, we were doing reasonably well. We were seeing primarily the Alpha variant,” Dobbs explained to WLBT. “The Delta variant has taken over all the transmission in the state of Mississippi. It’s far more contagious, even more than the Alpha variant.”

Dobbs and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Daniel Edney are urging the public to get the vaccine if they have not done so. Those who are 65 or older or who may be immuno-compromised are asked to talk to their doctors about getting a booster.

So far, over 2 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed across the state. About half of those are fully vaccinated. In Mississippi, the vaccine is available to everyone 12 years of age and older.