Black residents feeling brunt of COVID-19 in Mississippi. What is state doing to help?
The black community in Mississippi accounts for about 50% of reported COVID-19 cases in the state, and Gov. Tate Reeves pointed out Tuesday that one majority black city on the Coast is being hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Moss Point is an area of the state where we’ve seen a higher number of cases, particularly in the African-American community in that particular city,” Reeves said on Tuesday during a press conference in Jackson. “We’re trying to push resources to those communities where we’re seeing clusters and outbreaks, and Moss Point is a fine example of that.”
The University of Mississippi Medical Center set up a drive-through testing site across from Moss Point’s city hall on Monday as it continues its free testing tour of under-served areas that where COVID-19 has been more prevalent.
Prior to Reeves’ mention of Moss Point, state’s epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers acknowledged that black Mississippians have been more likely to test positive and die from the novel coronavirus.
“We have seen some racial disparities in the number of cases and some racial disparities in our deaths,” Byers said. “We’re looking at 50%, maybe a little more, of our cases occurring in the African American community. We’re also seeing more than 50% of deaths occurring in the African-American community. This is troubling, obviously.”
Jackson County has the most COVID-19 cases among the state’s southernmost six counties at 108, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. Jackson County’s five deaths rank first in the state.
More than 70% of Moss Point residents are black, according to U.S. Census figures. About 37% of Mississippi’s population is black.
Byers was asked if there were steps being taken to increase testing in parts of the state where more black people live, including the Delta.
“We’ll have those discussions to make sure we have testing available,” he said. “We need to be able to get those cases isolated, get those contacts quarantined and protect those individuals are at the highest risk.
“We know that there can be higher rates of underlying chronic medical problems among African Americans in Mississippi. This is not news. We’ve seen this before. We know with COVID-19 that it can have a disproportionate impact on those individuals with underlying, chronic medical problems.”
Moss Point Mayor Mario King has been one of Reeves’ main critics for his handling of the new coronavirus outbreak over the last month, asking him to take more harsh action to slow the spread of the virus.
After more than 33 states established shelter-in-place orders, Reeves on April 1 signed a statewide order of his own.
Reeves said he hopes community leaders will step up and inform others about the the dangers of COVID-19, and explain who is most vulnerable to the virus.
“We’re encouraging leaders in the African American community, and leaders across our state to step up and communicate,” Reeves said. “Let’s communicate and talk about the dangers that exist out there. There are dangers to people who have chronic medical conditions.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 4:42 PM.
