Mississippi health officials urge seniors to avoid mass gatherings indoors as delta Covid variant tears state apart

Mississippi state health officials on Friday released new guidelines calling on state residents over the age of 65 and residents who are immunocompromised, vaccinated or unvaccinated, to avoid mass gatherings at the inside for the next two weeks in the middle “Heavy transmission” of the delta variant over the next few weeks.

The new directive is in place until July 26 and is not mandatory. Rather, the guidance should be viewed as a recommendation.

“We don’t recommend any warrant. What we do is provide personal recommendations to people at high risk for serious outcomes,” Mississippi state health official Dr. Thomas Dobbs said at the time. a press briefing on Friday. “We don’t want anyone to die needlessly.”

Dobbs said he currently “does not plan” for the guidelines to be extended to other age groups in the future.

Officials said they are starting to see significant transmission of the delta variant which is very reminiscent of what was seen at the start of the pandemic. Mississippi state health epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers specifically highlighted church groups, school and summer programs, funeral gatherings and workplaces, and long-term care facilities. like areas where the authorities are already seeing peaks in infections.

“We directly identified that they are the result of the delta variant, and the drivetrain… has been pretty significant,” Byers said at the press conference on Friday.

The state is penultimate of all states after Alabama in the percentage of the population fully vaccinated with two doses. About 25% of Mississippians over 65 remain unvaccinated and make up the majority of Covid deaths in the state. State health officials have also said they are also seeing deaths among vaccinated residents, “because we expose them over and over again,” Dobbs said, although that is a percentage tiny.

Mississippi is ranked last in the country for its share of adults with at least one stroke of Covid and the state is also ranked last in the country for the percentage of residents aged 12 and over with at least one stroke.

“I don’t think we’re going to have a miraculous increase in our immunization rate in the next few weeks, so people are going to die needlessly,” Dobbs warned.

State health officials have asked vaccinated residents to speak with others about their experiences with the vaccine in an effort to raise awareness about the safety and effectiveness of injections.

“Let people know, let your family know, let your neighbors know, let your friends know,” Dobbs said. “There is no message more powerful than trust and faith to let people know how widely the vaccine has been used and understand that people are safe and happy to be protected.”