MS pauses releasing COVID data until after Christmas as omicron spreads across US
The Mississippi State Department of Health will pause releasing COVID-19 data until after Christmas, a notice on the department’s website reads.
The health department reported 873 more cases of COVID and six deaths in Mississippi on Dec. 21 and will not publish updates until Monday, Dec. 27.
The halt in regular COVID reporting comes as the state has been seeing a “rapid increase in COVID ER visits,” according to State Medical Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, while the omicron variant has been spreading quickly in more densely populated parts of the country.
Dobbs instructed Mississippi residents to take precautions against the variant as it will be “different” than previous strains. Omicron infection is less likely to be stopped by monoclonal antibody infusions, a leading COVID treatment in Mississippi.
Getting vaccinated and receiving a booster shot has so far proven to be the best defense against the new variant.
“Please 1) get boosted now 2) wear a mask indoors - current CDC recs 3) stay home when ill 4) limit indoor gatherings to small groups (outdoors when possible),” Dobbs tweeted on Thursday.
