Vaccine rumors ‘killing people’ as COVID cases quadrupled in weeks at 1 Coast hospital
COVID-19 is going to get worse in Mississippi before it gets better because the state’s vaccination rate is so low and the highly infectious delta variant is pervasive, top public health doctors warned Friday.
Hospitals are seeing more cases and bracing for another round of “draconian” measures so they can treat COVID patients, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said on a weekly Facebook Live the Misissippi State Medical Association hosts on Friday afternoons.
“Doctors need to get ready,” he said. “Nurses need to get ready. There’s more to come.”
Dobbs said that hospitals might once again have to eliminate elective surgeries and take other measures to make room for COVID patients. On the Coast, Memorial Hospital reports that patient numbers have quadrupled over the past three weeks, with most patients unvaccinated and in the 29-45 age group.
“We’re just undervaccinated,” said Dobbs, who reiterated that COVID vaccines have proven safe and effective.
Dobbs also lamented the misinformation about vaccines spread on social media.
“There’s no doubt that people have died because of bad information,” he said. “Don’t be a part of it. Be an agent for truth.”
President Joe Biden was even more blunt in a video clip that went viral Friday on Twitter when a reporter asked him what the message is for social media platforms such as Facebook.
“They’re killing people,” the president responded. “Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they’re killing people.”
MS vaccination rate low
Statewide, only 31% of residents are vaccinated, the latest MSDH statistics show. Nationwide, the average is almost 60%, the New York Times reports.
The low vaccination rate led the MSDH on Friday to release new guidelines for school reopenings, including masks indoors for unvaccinated teachers, staff and students 2 or older.
Only a small number of children have been vaccinated, Dobbs said, although Mississippians 12 and older are eligible for COVID vaccines and they are widely available.
“Pretty much anyplace where people are gathering now, we are seeing cases and transmission,” said state Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers, who mentioned outbreaks at a vacation Bible school and in other group settings.
He said anyone with chronic health problems should avoid crowds, even if they are vaccinated. While most cases are now among the unvaccinated, residents who have been fully vaccinated can still get COVID-19.
“It’s the fourth wave,” doctors on the Facebook Live said in unison, prompting Byers to add, “It sounds like a bad movie.”
Byers urged anyone who is unvaccinated to wear a mask in group settings.
Hospitals preparing for more COVID patients
The doctors are recommending monoclonal antibody treatment for eligible COVID patients as a way to limit hospitalizations and serious illness.
The infusions work best in those recently diagnosed and are recommended for people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, obesity or any medical condition that puts them at higher risk of disease progression.
Both Memorial Hospital and Singing River Health System are offering the treatment on the Coast. Memorial Hospital will expand hours next week for the treatments in Gulfport and will offer the infusions within the next two weeks in Stone County, said Kristian Spear, Memorial’s Advanced Practice Manager.
COVID cases, positve rates up at Memorial
Memorial is once again seeing an increasing number of COVID patients, she said, with three to four hospitalized three weeks ago, compared to 15 on Friday. Spear said two of those patients are on ventilators.
““I think it’s important to note that the people who are admitted, the majority of them are not vaccinated,” she said.
Test positivity rates are up, too, indicating COVID is spreading more widely in the community. The rate of patients testing positive this week is averaging 14%, Spear said, compared to 7% two weeks ago.
“It’s the delta variant,” she said. “We just know that across the board that’s what we’re seeing.”
Memorial staff members are bracing for more to come.
“I don’t know that we’ve actually recovered from the stress of 2020 and now, here we are again,” she said. “I think we’re all nervous about what will happen over the next few weeks because we are seeing the cases go up. I think everybody is on edge about what’s coming.”
