Coronavirus cases are increasing in Mississippi. Counties under this new mandate include Chickasaw, Claiborne, DeSoto, Forrest, Itawamba, Jackson, Lamar, Lee and Neshoba. Governor Tate Reeves says this is a needed step in protecting the state's healthcare system. "We're trying to prevent so many individuals from getting the virus at once that our healthcare system can not respond to a car wreck or to a heart attack in the right way. These decisions can and might affect every single Mississippian," says Reeves.
Rapid coronavirus tests that show results within 15 minutes are now available at every county COVID-19 test site. State Health Officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs encourages residents to get tested. "We are going to focus the rapid testing on those who have symptoms or who are close contacts," says Dr. Dobbs. "Again this is the front of the nose, and if you've had the front of the nose, it's not nearly as bad as the back of the nose. Only 1% of our testing has been done for people in childcare. If you're in K-12 and you're a teacher or you work in the setting or you're a student, get tested."
Dr. Dobbs says there has been a shift in transmission and 60% of new coronavirus cases and deaths in Mississippi over the last two weeks have been in the white community.
