There is a shortage of monoclonal antibody treatments in Mississippi, which helped to reduce strain on hospitals during the delta surge. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs says the omicron variant is resistant to the majority of monoclonal treatments, but the vaccine booster dose has remained an effective way at curbing transmission. He says recent vaccinations and boosters can drastically increase someone’s chance to survive the coronavirus.
“If we consider people who are 65 and older, and even 50 and older, we see about a 10 fold reduction in death if you’ve been vaccinated. And this isn’t even boosted, this is all-comers,” says Dr. Dobbs. “Although older folks and people may die if they get covid, there’s a 90% reduction in death. So please protect yourself. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, get vaccinated. And now’s the time to get the booster because we know the booster makes all the difference when it comes to the omicron variant.”
The omicron variant of the coronavirus is less likely to cause hospitalizations, however, State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers says it has a much higher degree of transmission. He says the variant is spreading so rapidly across the state, it could quickly overwhelm the state’s healthcare system.
“Additionally we’re in the middle of flu season. We do have folks that are being hospitalized for flu, as well as any number of medical conditions that require hospitalization,” says Dr. Byers. “We will still see some pressure on hospital systems just from the vast number of cases of omicron that we’ll see in the coming next few weeks.”
Emergency rooms are overburdened across the state, and healthcare officials are reminding Mississippians that an emergency room is not the proper place to get tested for covid. Coronavirus tests can be scheduled online at covidschedule.umc.edu or by calling the hotline at 1-877-978-6453.
