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On April 27, 2021 in Hollandale, Mississippi, medical personnel from Delta Health Center prepare to vaccinate individuals at a pop-up Covid-19 immunization clinic in this remote Delta hamlet. Getty Images/Spencer Platt Mississippi state health officials issued updated recommendations on Friday, advising individuals over 65 and immunocompromised residents, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to avoid indoor mass gatherings for the next two weeks due to “significant transmission” of the delta strain. The new guidelines are in effect until July 26 and are not required. Instead, the advice should be regarded as a suggestion. “We don’t think mandates are a good idea. What we’re doing is making personalized recommendations for people who are at a high risk of serious consequences “During a press conference on Friday, Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said. “We don’t want anyone to die in vain.” Dobbs stated that he “does not expect” the recommendations to be extended to other age groups in the future. Officials say they’re starting to witness widespread transmission of the delta strain, which is similar to what they saw early in the epidemic. Church groups, school and summer programs, funeral gatherings and businesses, as well as long-term care institutions, are among the venues where officials are already detecting surges in infections, according to Mississippi state health epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers. At a news conference on Friday, Byers said, “We have directly recognized that these are the product of the delta variation, and the transmission… has been fairly significant.” When it comes to the percentage of the population who has received two doses of vaccine, the state is second to bottom among all states. About 25% of Mississippians over the age of 65 are still unvaccinated, and these people account for the majority of Covid deaths in the state. Vaccinated residents are also dying, according to state health experts, “because we are exposing them over and over again,” Dobbs said, though it is a small number. From June 3 through July 1, 2021, the graph depicts cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities among vaccinated and unvaccinated people in Mississippi. Mississippi Department of Health and Human Services Mississippi is bottom in the US in terms of the percentage of adults who have had at least one Covid shot, as well as the percentage of inhabitants aged 12 and up who have had at least one shot. “I don’t think we’re going to see a magical improvement in vaccination rates in the next several weeks,” Dobbs cautioned, “so people are going to die needlessly.” In an effort to boost knowledge about the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, state health officials invited vaccinated residents to speak with others about their experiences with it. “Let others know,” Dobbs advised. “Let your family know, let your neighbors know, let your friends know.” “There is no more powerful message than trust and faith for people to comprehend how broadly the vaccination has been used, and that they are safe and excited to be protected.”/nRead More

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