MS State Officials Address COVID-19 Myths

On Monday, July 13, Governor Tate Reeves briefed Mississippians on the COVID-19 numbers in the state and debunked any rumors about the virus.

One of the rumors addressed during Governor

Reeves COVID-19 update was the effectiveness of herd immunity, which is when a large group of people become immune to a disease after becoming infected, which will help to further protect the population from becoming infected with the disease. When addressing herd immunity, Governor Tate Reeves stated that “herd immunity as a solution does not work in our state or anywhere else unless you’re comfortable with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands not being able to receive medical care”.

Another rumor that was dispelled was that the reported numbers for positive cases of COVID-19 are misleading.

“Every time you test someone it doesn’t matter; one person is one case. People ask me over and over again ‘if we test someone three time does that count as three case’, absolutely not. If we test someone twenty times –the same person is going to be just one case. So, there is no case inflations for number of tests by individual. Please, we need to set that rumor to rest,” said Dr. Thomas Dobbs, state health officer.

Governor Tate Reeves also addressed the importance of wearing a mask at this time, for those who are skeptical about the effectiveness of wearing one to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“We believe at this time that by wearing masks, you can not only protect yourself, but you can protect others. Is wearing a mask in public fool proof, does it guarantee that no spread is going to curb? –No, but it can go a long way towards helping and when you combine wearing a mask in public, socially distancing, staying at least 6ft apart at all times and you combine that with the other measures that we have in place, it can make a real difference,” said Gov. Tate Reeves.

The Mississippi State Department of Health continues to provide updates on the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the state on its website, along with information on how to find a COVID-19 testing provider near you.