Recent editorials from Mississippi newspapers:
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Nov. 18
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal on the rise of coronavirus cases in Mississippi and a statewide mask mandate:
Gov. Tate Reeves added seven more counties to the state’s mask mandate Monday, including Itawamba and Pontotoc counties. These counties join Benton, Marshall and Lee in our coverage area of Northeast Mississippi as we continue to watch as COVID-19 cases rise in the state.
As of Sunday, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health, 723 individuals are hospitalized across the state, with 180 in an ICU. Our peak number of hospitalizations occurred during the summer with 987. We currently have around 38 ICU beds available in our region, including 11 at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.
The most recent data on hospitalizations from North Mississippi Health Services, which includes NMMC, shows that the system is again nearing the number of peak hospitalizations, previously seen in late July.
After the spike in hospitalizations in July, which was seen across the state, we saw a significant decrease across the state. We believe this to be in part because of the statewide mask mandate Gov. Reeves issued. The governor even said himself in September that masking helped control the spread after the spike in July. And as he announced the seven additional counties added to the masking order on Monday, he again emphasized that wearing a mask helps.
When Gov. Reeves extended the statewide order in September, he said it was in anticipation of the Labor Day holiday and a possible spike, based on what we saw after other holidays. So with the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, we must ask why can we not return to a statewide mask mandate?
We did not understand Gov. Reeves’ piecemeal approach during the summer and we do not understand it now. As Mississippians travel around the state, it’s difficult to keep up with the requirements for each county. And if a county is not under a mask mandate, it could give a false sense of security, during a time when we all must be diligent.
With the holidays upon us, changing weather, and a significant increase in cases, we implore Gov. Reeves to reinstate the statewide masking order before conditions worsen in our state.
In the meantime, please wear a mask, regardless of where you live and whether you’re under the current mandate.
Online: https://www.djournal.com/
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Nov. 12
The Vicksburg Post on the complaints about wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic:
Scrolling through social media feeds in recent days has been no less divisive and combative than the days before the general election. But, every once in a while, in between the “not my president” and “get over it” comments, you come across a gem that provides a much-needed laugh.
In and among those vehemently complaining about ongoing mask mandates within the city of Vicksburg and Warren County - a requirement that local medical officials say work and have helped control the spread of the virus - there was a comment that stood out. “I wonder if people complained this much when the wearing of clothes was first required.”
And it made us think, when seat belts were first required, was there this much division among the masses? Did one group say “my body, my choice” when states began issuing fines for those who did not wear seat belts? And what about those pesky speed limits?
Medical officials at every level - you know, the people who know what they are talking about - have said the wearing of masks helps minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It works. Why argue against it?
Locally, public officials have made tough decisions in requiring masks be worn in public buildings and in environments where social distancing is not possible.
This does not mean you have to wear one in your car when you are by yourself. This does not mean you have to wear one in the privacy of your own home.
In schools, children are required to wear a mask. At churches, masks are required. When entering a business, a restaurant or any public building, a mask is required.
Masks do work and a report by the Centers of Disease Control this week reinforced their effectiveness.
The election is over. Using masks as a political toy is over. They work. Get over it.
Online: https://www.vicksburgpost.com/
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Nov. 12
The Dispatch on Pfizer Inc. announcing last week that its COVID-19 vaccine may be 90% effective based on early and incomplete test results:
The news that drug-maker Pfizer has developed a vaccine that has proven 90 percent effective in its early clinical trials is good news at a time when good news is hard to come by.
Since the beginning of November, COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed, with a million new cases reported over the past 10 days (a record one-day total of 140,543 reported Wednesday). All 50 states are recording increases. Hospitalizations reached a new high of 61,69 Tuesday, a record eclipsing the previous high mark in April by more than 2,000 patients.
Where hospitalizations increase, deaths often follow. Over the past six days, the U.S. has averaged more than 1,000 deaths per day, a rate which thankfully seems to have at least leveled out for now.
The news of a vaccine is something we’ve been hoping and waiting for since the pandemic first arrived in the U.S. in February. For the first time, there is reason to be hopeful an end is in sight.
But in many respects, the challenge we face now is the greatest since the pandemic arrived.
Our leading medical experts warn that even under the best-case scenario, it will be five months before the vaccine is widely available to the population. The challenge is vaccinating a population of 330 million people. It’s one thing to have a vaccine available. It’s quite another to distribute it.
As we have grown desensitized to the toll of the virus — and there’s some reason to believe we have — we are more inclined to grow careless in our efforts to guard against the disease. And with a vaccine in sight — even if it’s well down the road — we might be tempted to let our guards down even more.
The longer we labor under precautions, the more we yearn for the return of our normal rhythms of life. With Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, we are even more tempted to put aside the precautions we know are important in fighting the virus.
That’s a dangerous thought to entertain. Unless we recommit ourselves to measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing and limiting our exposure to those outside our households, the death toll could double over the next several months.
State and local governments must continue to mandate precautions and extend them when the data indicates further measures are necessary.
This means there may be empty chairs around the Thanksgiving table this year, which should be considered a sad necessity.
Even so, that prospect is infinitely preferable to empty seats that may never again be filled.
So let’s reaffirm our commitment to the challenge before — for ourselves, for our families and loved ones and our community.
Regardless of your political leanings, these are small prices to pay for the greater good, especially for those whose lives the virus threatens most.
We may be able to see the finish line on the horizon, but the race is far from over.
Online: https://www.cdispatch.com
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