As the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue at record levels in Mississippi, the state’s health leaders are frustrated.
Officials say the delta variant is so highly infectious, that for every person who has it, they could spread it to eight or nine other people.
Mississippi reported its highest number of single-day cases this week, with about 3,500. The state is starting to see an increase in the number of deaths, and they are younger than before, in their 50s and younger. About 97% of the new cases in Mississippi are people who were unvaccinated.
Federal assistance is coming to Mississippi. Hospitals are experiencing staffing shortages that have left some beds unusable. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is opening a mobile 50-bed unit in the hospital’s parking garage that will be manned by health care workers provided by the federal government.
Officials said the COVID-19 numbers are likely to increase now that students and teachers have returned to the classrooms. With just a couple weeks of school in that state they have had 80 outbreaks reported to them from 342 school systems.
