“Zero ICU beds in Jackson. Very few elsewhere.”  That was the message from State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs this morning as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across the state.

On Wednesday, the Mississippi State Department of Health stated, “Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are on track toward the crisis level we saw this summer. If we don’t make changes immediately, we’ll see critical shortages of first-line care for the seriously ill and injured. Turning the situation around means all of us — individuals, businesses, schools — taking preventive measures that we know work: social distancing, keeping to small gatherings, and using masks to prevent virus transmission.”

In addition, according to WLBT-TV, the White House Coronavirus Task Force listed Mississippi in the red zone for COVID-19.  According to the report, Mississippi has the 27th highest case rate in the country and also has the 20th highest rate of test positivity.  

On Wednesday, Governor Tate Reeves announced an extension through to his “Safe Recovery” order, which places a mask mandate and stricter social distancing guidelines on 15 counties. The revised order, set to expire on December 11th, includes the following counties.

Benton, Carroll, Covington, DeSoto, Forrest, Harrison, Humphreys, Jackson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Leflore, Lee, Marshall, Rankin, and Yalobusha.

Today at noon, Dr. Thomas Dobbs will answer questions via Facebook regarding the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.