Over the last seven days, 14,000+ new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Mississippi.
As state health officials continue to warn of the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the virus and encourage residents to get vaccinated, one Senate leader voiced his support of State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs who is often negatively targeted, mainly on social media.
The statement from Senate Minority Leader Derrick T. Simmons is below:
I totally support State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and the work he has done to educate and help protect Mississippians during the COVID 19 pandemic.
I appreciate Dr. Dobbs’ work, his passion, and his dedication for trying to get Mississippians vaccinated against this deadly virus, despite the personal, unprovoked, and senseless attacks on his character and credibility by members of the public who intentionally spread misinformation about the virus to discourage others from protecting themselves by being vaccinated.
The sin in this is the opposition who twist facts to discredit the work of Dr. Dobbs and all our valuable healthcare workers during this public health crisis.
I hope the rational people in Mississippi will dismiss the efforts of misguided critics of Dr. Dobbs and stand behind his work and understand and support his efforts to save Mississippi lives through increased awareness of vaccinations and safety protocols. Let us condemn the ulterior motives of those preaching against Dr. Dobbs and his efforts to vaccinate Mississippians and save lives.
Dobbs had recently come under fire for comments he made calling social media critics “anti-science Nazis”.
Representative Steve Hopkins, a Republican from DeSoto County, called on Dobbs to resign.
Dobbs later apologized saying, “I just want to apologize from kind of getting away from a sense of calm decorum. But I’m frustrated. I’m mad. I’m upset. I’m depressed because we’re going to watch people needlessly die over the next month or two for no good reason,” Dobbs said. “There is a mountain of lies and disinformation that is being promulgated by a relatively small number of misinformed, disillusioned people and it’s leading folks astray.”
