As Delta Variant skyrockets, Mississippi sees most COVID-19 cases in months

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 427 new cases of COVID-19 for July 7, the highest number since March 13. After a multi-month plateau, new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are on the rise again in Magnolia state after more the contagious Delta variant became the state’s dominant strain last month.

Yesterday, in a tweet, state health worker Dr Thomas Dobbs reported that between June 16 and 25, the Delta variant accounted for around 78% of new cases. This means that it was already the dominant strain on June 24 when the state health worker predicted it would overtake the others “in 1 to 3 weeks.”“

“Now seeing the predicted increase in COVID-like cases, hospitalizations and illnesses. If you are not immune, not vaccinated, be careful, ”Dr Dobbs tweeted today.

Last week, the chief scientist of the White House coronavirus task force Dr David Kessler told Mississippi Free Press reporter Nick Judin that the Delta variant “appears to be more heritable” than the previous forms and “also has an impact on young people in a way that the previous variants do not.”

Lamdba variant: On the way?

Public health officials in 30 countries, not yet including the United States, have also detected another variant, the Lambda variant, which they say could be deadlier than Delta’s.

In Mississippi, daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain well below their winter peak, when the state reported more than 2,000 cases on certain days. But public health experts fear the recent increase may portend something worse at a time when less than a third of Mississippians are fully vaccinated and the state ranks last in the country on vaccines. Nationally, about 48% of the population is fully vaccinated, compared to just 31% in Mississippi.

On June 22, Mississippi’s seven-day average for new cases fell to 107, the lowest since the third week after the pandemic arrived in the spring of 2020. Today, the daily average of cases has risen. at 247, the highest point since April 26. , 2021.

The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 is also on the rise. After falling to a 14-month low with 91 hospitalizations on June 21, hospitals in Mississippi are now reporting 180 patients infected with COVID-19. But the increase in hospitalizations usually follows the increase in the number of cases by several weeks. The number of long-term care facilities reporting COVID-19 outbreaks is also on the rise, from 19 on July 1 to 28 yesterday.

Despite Mississippi’s low vaccination rates and increasing cases, the state’s senior US Senator Roger Wicker used his social media accounts today to push for an end to the federal government’s mask tenure on planes and other public transport.

“The pandemic is subsiding and masks are no longer necessary in most contexts. Yet airlines are forcing fully vaccinated people to wear a mask or risk losing their seat, ”wrote Wicker, who received criticism for removing his mask on a flight in October 2020. In fact, the The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases currently tends to increase nationwide as the Delta variant spreads to other states.

“Vaccines save lives”

Dr. Dobbs continues to urge Mississippians to get vaccinated. June 29, he found that unvaccinated Mississippians accounted for 96% of cases, 95% of hospitalizations and 90% of deaths from COVID-19 in the previous month. The COVID-19 vaccine became widely available in Mississippi in early spring, but after an initial rush, demand for the vaccine dried up. The state has delivered nearly 900,000 vaccines to the federal government due to low demand.

“COVID vaccines save lives and could save more”, Dobbs wrote June 29.

He said that the fact that those vaccinated represent a higher percentage of new deaths than new cases could be caused by “increased exposure” for “the elderly with health problems for which the vaccine may not be so. effective”. Many older Mississippians who have stayed home over the past year have started to resume social activities since being vaccinated.

Long before the arrival of the Delta variant, clinical trials found that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were, respectively, approximately 95% and 94% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection several weeks after receiving both. doses, while the Johnson & Johnson single injection vaccine was approximately 66% effective.

Even among the groundbreaking cases, however, trials found that each vaccine prevented most of them from becoming severe, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said was 85% effective in prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death.

Pfizer develops Delta variant of booster fire targeting

With the Delta variant now the dominant strain, several studies have shown that current vaccines may now be somewhat less effective in preventing symptomatic infections, but remain very effective in preventing death and serious illness. Pfizer announced today that it will seek emergency clearance from the FDA for a third recall which better protects against the Delta variant.

On Meet The Press last Sunday, Dr Anthony Fauci said he would likely wear a mask if he visited Mississippi due to low vaccination rates and suggested residents who have stopped wearing masks after being vaccinated should also consider doing so.

“I might want to go the extra mile to be careful enough to make sure I get the extra layer of protection, even though the vaccines themselves are very effective,” he said.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation announced yesterday that it will begin offering free rides to vaccination sites for Mississippians.

“Plan a free trip Get a free vaccine”, Governor Tate Reeves tweeted yesterday. It was the first time the head of state had used his social media accounts to promote vaccines since April 30.

COVID-19 vaccines are free and widely available. For more information about the vaccine, go to the MSDH website. To find vaccine locations near you, go to vaccins.gov.