Mississippi to become No. 1 hot spot for COVID-19, Harvard official says

3M brand N95 particulate respirators are displayed on a table on July 28, 2020 in San Anselmo, California. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A health official has predicted that Mississippi will become the newest COVID-19 hot spot in the US, citing higher positive tests and minimal social distancing regulations.

READ MORE: Jay-Z, Yo Gotti file lawsuit on behalf of Mississippi inmates over health conditions

Ashish K. Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, came to this conclusion, shared his reasoning on Twitter.

“One state doing VERY badly but has received little attention is Mississippi. MS has the 2nd highest # of new cases / capita, just behind Florida — but MS is going up while FL is slowly inching down,” he shares, initiating the thread.

Jha begins by introducing data that details although testing numbers are down, positive cases are up. He also shares that hospitalizations have risen and deaths have doubled in the past two weeks.

First, data. Compared to two weeks ago

Mississippi:

Testing is DOWN 8%

Cases UP 37%

So that means test positivity is up. Way up. Actually highest in the nation at 22%.

Hospitalizations are up

Daily death toll up nearly 2X in past 2 weeks

You get the picture

Thread

2/n

— Ashish K. Jha (@ashishkjha) August 2, 2020

READ MORE: Mississippi lawmakers vote to remove Confederate emblem from flag

Last week, Mississippi governor Tate Reeves shot down the idea of another statewide shutdown.

“The vast majority of Mississippians are small business owners and folks who work in small businesses, whereby if they don’t show up to work, they don’t get paid. If they don’t get paid, they can’t put food on the table for their kids and grandkids,” he states in a press briefing according to WLOX.

Business being open are one contributing factor Jha lists accounting for the growth in COVID-19 cases.

“Much of Mississippi remains open. Bars, restaurants are open with only modest limits. Retail largely open. No statewide mask mandate” he tweets before suggesting the state shut down bars, indoor dining, and gyms and implement a mask requirement.

According to the CDC, Mississippi currently has 59,002 coronavirus confirmed cases with 879 probable. The state has recorded 1648 confirmed COVID-19 deaths.

Hinds County, which is 69% Black, according to the 2010 Census, has the most positive COVID-19 cases and deaths. According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, the jurisdiction reports 5209 cases and 106 deaths.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!