Violent Trump supporters break through a police barrier outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A mob of violent supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as Congress counted the electoral votes to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

The pro-Trump rioters — incited earlier Wednesday morning by the president’s oldest son and other close allies of the president — assaulted Capitol Police officers, smashed windows and tore down security barricades on their way into the building, prompting officials to lock down both legislative chambers of the building and nearby congressional office buildings.

Several high-profile members of Congress were evacuated, and others were told to shelter in place during the lockdown. The electoral vote counting process was halted.

The mob — many of whom were visibly armed and carrying pro-Trump and Confederate flags — breached the Senate chamber, and others tried to break into the House chamber. Inside the House chamber, police officers drew guns to deter them from entering. Multiple news reports said at least one person was shot, and that authorities had found an improvised explosive device on the Capitol grounds.

Several rioters were placed in handcuffs and arrested as armored police worked to clear the building.

Staffers for all six delegates — Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Rep. Trent Kelly, Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. Michael Guest and Rep. Steven Palazzo — said the members and their staffs are safe.

In a video posted to his Twitter account shortly after 3 p.m., Trump again used disproven rhetoric that “the election was stolen” and spoke in sympathetic and affectionate terms to the rioters, telling them to “go home.”

“I know you’re in pain. I know you’re hurt,” Trump said in the video. “…We love you. You’re very special.”

The chaos occurred in the nation’s Capitol on the same day the Mississippi Legislature took the final vote on adopting a new flag to replace the old banner that contained the Confederate battle emblem in its design.

People outside of the Mississippi Capitol, waving Trump banners and the old flag, protested peacefully throughout the much of the day.

As the assault was occurring in Washington, the Mississippi House was in session and many members did not know what was occurring.

Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn was informed of the events in Washington by a reporter and immediately began inquiring on what was occurring.

Mississippi elected officials and other politicos responded to the violent outbreak Wednesday afternoon.

• U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican, said in a statement: “To everyone who has asked, I am safe. I thank the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police and federal law enforcement for their work to bring this lawlessness and violence in the Capitol building to an end.”
• U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, tweeted: “Thank you for the messages of concern. My staff & I are safe. Whatever frustrations any American may have, violence & destruction in the US Capitol, the seat of our democratic government, is unacceptable. I’m grateful for @CapitolPolice & those working to stabilize the situation.”
• U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, tweeted: “Locked in Capitol and securing face mask for members… These thugs have no respect for our democracy.”
• U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, a Republican, tweeted: “The right to peacefully protest is sacred — and it’s one that must remain protected. Protests must stay peaceful and should not escalate to a point of violence. I am disheartened to see today’s event turn violent and attacked launched against our hardworking police officers. Please pray for this country and the law enforcement officers who are working to keep the peace.”
• U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, a Republican, tweeted: “Please keep protests peaceful and lawful. I condemn all acts of violence.”
• Republican Gov. Tate Reeves: “Political violence is always wrong. Law and order must win over mob rule. The country we love desperately needs prayer and God’s protection.”
• “I am appalled,” Mike Chaney, the state’s insurance commissioner and Republican Party stalwart, tweeted on Wednesday before quickly deleting the tweet. “A lifelong Republican, one of my worst fears has come true with weak leadership destroying the country and idiots destroying democracy and the Republican Party. Those destroying our Capitol need to be prosecuted!”
• State Rep. Robert Johnson, the House Democratic leader from Natchez, said: “This is a sad day for the country… One person could stop this. I just wish that he would. I am appalled. If it had been a group of African Americans breaking into the Capitol with guns, people would not be standing around watching the Capitol be destroyed.”
• State Rep. Shane Aguirre, a Republican from Tupelo, said: “It is sad to see. Violence and destruction of property is no way to express yourself. I do not condone it in any way.”
• State Sen. David Blount, a Democrat from Jackson, tweeted: “The logical conclusion to an amoral criminal presidency.”
• Lucien Smith, former chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, tweeted: “We should all remember opportunists like Senator Hawley, whose dishonest rhetoric contributed to today’s violence, egging on sedition. He and his ilk are not worthy of the offices they hold.”
• Brandon Presley, Democratic public service commissioner: “This scene at the Capitol in Washington is despicable and horrifying. Every American should be praying for the safety all members of Congress and law enforcement. Silence is complicity at this point for anyone who nibbles around the edges. America is NOT governed by mobs.”
• Jason Shelton, Democratic mayor of Tupelo: “Donald Trump’s supporters and a warring foreign nation are the only two groups to ever attack the United States Capitol. Donald Trump is responsible for this and needs to be immediately impeached and removed from office.”

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Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

One of the five final flag designs

The state Senate on Wednesday sent ratification of a new Mississippi flag to the governor — who plans to sign the legislation into law after voters overwhelmingly approved the In God We Trust flag in November.

“We just ratified the voice of the people,” Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said. “(Nearly) 72% of Mississippians voted for a new flag and today the Senate heard their voice.”

The Senate vote was 38-7, with one “present” vote. Republican Sens. Kathy Chism of New Albany, Joey Fillingane of Sumrall, Chris McDaniel of Ellisville, Mike Seymour of Vancleave, Melanie Sojourner of Natchez, Jeff Tate of Meridian and Neil Whaley of Potts Camp voted against codifying the new flag approved by 71.3% of voters on Nov. 3. Sen. Angela Burks Hill, R-Picayune, voted present.

The House on Tuesday voted 119-1 to ratify the new flag. Gov. Tate Reeves’ office on Wednesday said he was planning a bill-signing ceremony for the flag ratification bill.

The Mississippi Legislature in June removed the old flag, which was adopted by racist lawmakers in 1894. It was the last in the nation to carry the divisive Confederate battle emblem. Lawmakers faced growing pressure from religious, business, sports and community leaders to remove the vestige of the state’s Jim Crow past from a flag flying over the state with the largest percentage population of Black residents.

State Senate Minority Leader Derrick T. Simmons on Wednesday had vowed — and delivered — a unanimous vote by Senate Democrats for the new flag.

“My Democratic colleagues and I look forward to casting a vote today that allows all people of Mississippi to have a flag that unites us instead of dividing us and a flag that our future generations can feel is inclusive of them,” Simmons said.

Hosemann said adopting a new flag and removing the one that flew for 126 years with a Confederate battle emblem will improve Mississippi’s image nationwide and abroad, and help “rebrand” the state and improve economic development.

“We’ve already met with (the Mississippi Development Authority) about rebranding Mississippi, and you’ll see as part of that we plan a new business incentive program,” Hosemann said. “… We have a new flag, new business incentives and a new attitude — and we are open for business.”

Hosemann said “I don’t know that we’ll ever know” how much the Confederate flag hurt economic development in Mississippi or how many businesses shied away from locating here.

“Many economic development officials I’ve talked to from Alcorn County to Hancock said it was an impediment,” Hosemann said.

On Nov. 3, Mississippi voters approved the new design in an up-or-down vote after a commission appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker chose the design. The commission reviewed about 3,000 public submissions for new flag designs over the summer and in September chose the new design with a magnolia and stars — a combination of multiple submissions. Lawmakers had stipulated in June that the new design include the words In God We Trust and that it not include the Confederate battle emblem.

But one group, Let Mississippi Vote, hopes to overturn the Legislature’s removal of the old flag. It has mounted a petition drive to place on the ballot — as early as 2022 — an initiative that would allow voters to restore the 1894 flag, or select other options including the In God We Trust flag.

McDaniel said his vote Wednesday against the new flag “was more about the process than it was about the flag.”

“The people of Mississippi were not given a voice because they were not given an election,” McDaniel said. “It is not actually an election when you are not provided but one option. That does not equate to a fair election.”

McDaniel said he is working with the Let Mississippi Vote group to put an initiative on the ballot with four options. He said he would probably vote for the old flag if given the choice, because he was tired “of the mindset” that just because something is offensive it should be changed or censored.

The post With governor’s signature, Mississippi will have a new flag with no Confederate emblem appeared first on Mississippi Today.

COVID-19 cases: Mississippi reports 2,791 new cases

By Mississippi Today | January 6, 2021

We are bringing you the latest COVID-19 Mississippi trends with daily case, death and hospitalization updates, as well as testing data charts and other helpful interactive maps and graphs.

This page was last updated Wednesday, January 6:

New cases: 2,791| New Deaths: 38

Total Hospitalizations: 1,518

Total cases:228,235 | Total Deaths: 5,013

Mask Mandates | On Sept. 30, Gov. Tate Reeves ended the statewide mask mandate order, originally issued Aug. 4. Since then, he has added a total of 78 individual county mask mandates, covering half of the state. State health officials encourage widespread masking and credit the original mandate with helping cases improve after a steep summer spike. View the full list of COVID-19 orders here.

All data and information reported by the Mississippi State Department of Health as of 6 p.m. yesterday

Weekly update: Wednesday, December 16

By Alex Rozier

On Tuesday Mississippi hit a new record with the seven-day average for cases, reaching 2,196. After going nine months without reporting 2,000 cases in a day, the state has reached that point nine times in just the 16 days of December so far. 

On Dec. 9, Mississippi also hit a new high for total hospitalizations on the rolling average, surpassing the summer peak. The state had already reached a new high for confirmed hospitalizations at the end of November, but hadn’t yet for the total tally, which includes suspected cases as well.

As seen in MSDH’s illness onset chart, the record for most illnesses in a day — Dec. 11, with 2,442 — is within the last two-week period, meaning those numbers could still go up.  

Mississippi’s present rise in cases mirrors the national surge, as the state currently has the 26th most new cases per capita. According to the Harvard Global Health Institute tracker, every state except Vermont is now in the “red zone” (recording over 25 daily new cases per 100,000 people). 

The health department reports that 148,466 people are presumed covered as of Dec. 13.

Click through the links below to view our interactive charts describing the trends around the coronavirus in Mississippi:

View our COVID-19 resource page for more information about coronavirus in Mississippi.

The post COVID-19 cases: Mississippi reports 2,791 new cases appeared first on Mississippi Today.

A latest poll shows that Governor Tate Reeves’ popularity is at 34%.

READ MORE: Gov. Tate Reeves’ approval rating tanked as COVID-19 pandemic worsened, poll shows

The post Marshall Ramsey: 34% appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

Gov. Tate Reeves discusses the state’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines during an early January 2021 press conference.

Gov. Tate Reeves, after almost one full year as the state’s chief executive, currently has a 34% approval rating and a 49% disapproval rating, according to a poll released Tuesday.

As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened in Mississippi, Reeves’ popularity has tumbled, according to the Millsaps College/Chism Strategies poll. In June, the same pollster found that 50% of Mississippi voters approved of the job performance of Reeves, while 28% disapproved.

The poor marks for Reeves are almost certainly affected by his perceived handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the poll released Tuesday, 37% of voters believe his management of the pandemic has been excellent/good, 26% say it has just been fair, and 35% say it has been poor/totally unacceptable.

Reeves, the sole elected official who can issue statewide safety orders like mask mandates and crowd size limits, has taken a piecemeal response in recent weeks. He’s received criticism from all quarters, including from those wanting stringent public health regulations and those who believe government should be hands-off.

Meanwhile, the seven-day average of COVID-19 cases in state has grown by nearly eight times since June, and every measurable virus statistic has considerably worsened. 

Reeves’ low approval rating stands in contrast to the high approvals of his predecessor, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant. In Bryant’s final quarter as governor in late 2019, he enjoyed one of the highest approval ratings of any governor in the nation: 55% of voters approved of his performance, and 25% disapproved.

Other findings from the poll released on Tuesday:

• Mississippi voters are evenly divided on the state’s direction, with 35% saying the state is moving in the right direction, 39% in the wrong direction and 26% unsure. 
• Just 27% approve of the Mississippi Legislature’s performance, compared to 44% who disapprove and 29% who say they don’t have enough information to rate their work.
• Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann currently has a 39% approval rating, with nearly a quarter saying they disapprove. 37% did not have enough information to evaluate his performance.
• Voters are divided on the performance of Attorney General Lynn Fitch, with 33% approving, 34% disapproving and 32% lacking sufficient information about her work.
• 42% believe the measures taken by Mississippi’s state government have not gone far enough to stop the spread of COVID-19. 36% feel the measures have been appropriate, while just 16% say the state has gone too far already.
• Just over 42% favor eliminating the state’s income tax as proposed by Governor Reeves, a proposition opposed by 36% of voters. Another 22% remain unsure.

The post Gov. Tate Reeves’ approval rating tanked as COVID-19 pandemic worsened, poll shows appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Lawmakers are poised to ratify the new Mississippi state flag this week.  (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The state Senate is expected on Wednesday to pass on to the governor final ratification of a new state flag — sans the divisive Confederate battle emblem that flew for 126 years.

The House on Monday voted 119-1 to accept the new “In God We Trust” Mississippi flag, after more than 70% of state voters approved it in November. The measure — the first bill of the 2021 legislative session, which began on Tuesday — cleared a Senate committee on Tuesday with no opposition.

A Senate floor vote on the bill is expected on Wednesday. If passed there, the bill would then move to the governor’s desk for signature or veto.

“This new flag boldly declares our trust in God, that we are all equal in his eyes …” said Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn, who for years was the lone statewide GOP leader advocating for changing the flag. “May God bless our efforts, and may God bless Mississippi as we set sail under this new flag.”

The Mississippi Legislature in June removed the old flag, which was adopted by racist lawmakers in 1894. It was the last in the nation to carry the divisive Confederate battle emblem. Lawmakers faced growing pressure from religious, business, sports and community leaders to remove the vestige of the state’s Jim Crow past from a flag flying over the state with the largest percentage population of Black residents.

TIMELINE: How Mississippi lawmakers removed the state flag.

READ MORE: Mississippi furls state flag with Confederate emblem after 126 years.

An appointed commission reviewed about 3,000 public submissions for new flag designs over the summer and in September chose the new design with a magnolia and stars — a combination of multiple submissions. Lawmakers had stipulated in June that the new design include the words In God We Trust and that it not include the Confederate battle emblem.

On Nov. 3, 71.3% of Mississippi voters approved the new design in an up-or-down vote. But lawmakers still must put the design into the state lawbooks.

The measure the House passed Tuesday includes the description:

“The Magnolia is the state flower of Mississippi and is a symbol that has long represented our state and the hospitality of our citizens, and also represents our state’s sense of hope and rebirth as the Magnolia often blooms more than once and has a long blooming season.  The circle of twenty stars represents Mississippi as the twentieth state of the United States of America and the circle is anchored at the top by the gold five-point star, which represents our first peoples, the indigenous Native American tribes of the land that would become Mississippi, and also represents Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia/Oceania and Europe, which are the five inhabited areas of the world from which all Mississippians originate.  The color blue in the center panel echoes the blue of the American flag, representing vigilance, justice and perseverance, and the red bars represent the hardiness and valor of our citizens.  The gold bars and the gold stamen of the Magnolia represent the rich cultural history of Mississippi, specifically the visual arts, literature, music and performing arts that have originated in our state.”

House lawmakers also approved an appropriation of $10,000 for the Department of Finance and Administration to buy new flags for state buildings this year.

Longtime state Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson, on Tuesday said, “I’m elated we finally did it.”

“Maybe we are headed in the right direction,” Clarke said. “We are doing the right thing here.”

House Democratic Leader Robert Johnson of Natchez said: “I still can’t stop thinking that more than 70% of the people of the state of Mississippi passed this flag — even after 27 years in the Legislature that amazes me.

“I’m hopeful this marks a change in Mississippi, not just of a symbol, but of people coming together to meet the needs of all the people of Mississippi,” Johnson said.

T.J. Taylor, who served on the commission appointed to pick a new flag design, was at the Capitol on Tuesday and said lawmakers finalizing the flag feels like closure.

“Hopefully now it’s just a formality, after voters came out and supported it like they did,” Taylor said. “… I feel like this is closure, that we can move on and not have to worry about it any more.”

But one group, Let Mississippi Vote, hopes to overturn the Legislature’s removal of the old flag. It has mounted a petition drive to place on the ballot — as early as 2022 — an initiative that would allow voters to restore the 1894 flag, or select other options including the In God We Trust flag.

On Tuesday, Rep. Steve Horne, R-Meridian, cast the lone no vote on the new flag. He was unavailable for comment after the vote. Rep. Dan Eubanks, R-Walls, voted present.

The post New Mississippi flag almost official: Lawmakers move for final ratification appeared first on Mississippi Today.

COVID-19 cases: Mississippi reports 1,767 new cases

By Mississippi Today | January 5, 2021

We are bringing you the latest COVID-19 Mississippi trends with daily case, death and hospitalization updates, as well as testing data charts and other helpful interactive maps and graphs.

This page was last updated Tuesday, January 5:

New cases: 1,767 | New Deaths: 91

Total Hospitalizations: 1,432

Total cases:225,444| Total Deaths: 4,975

Mask Mandates | On Sept. 30, Gov. Tate Reeves ended the statewide mask mandate order, originally issued Aug. 4. Since then, he has added a total of 78 individual county mask mandates, covering half of the state. State health officials encourage widespread masking and credit the original mandate with helping cases improve after a steep summer spike. View the full list of COVID-19 orders here.

All data and information reported by the Mississippi State Department of Health as of 6 p.m. yesterday

Weekly update: Wednesday, December 16

By Alex Rozier

On Tuesday Mississippi hit a new record with the seven-day average for cases, reaching 2,196. After going nine months without reporting 2,000 cases in a day, the state has reached that point nine times in just the 16 days of December so far. 

On Dec. 9, Mississippi also hit a new high for total hospitalizations on the rolling average, surpassing the summer peak. The state had already reached a new high for confirmed hospitalizations at the end of November, but hadn’t yet for the total tally, which includes suspected cases as well.

As seen in MSDH’s illness onset chart, the record for most illnesses in a day — Dec. 11, with 2,442 — is within the last two-week period, meaning those numbers could still go up.  

Mississippi’s present rise in cases mirrors the national surge, as the state currently has the 26th most new cases per capita. According to the Harvard Global Health Institute tracker, every state except Vermont is now in the “red zone” (recording over 25 daily new cases per 100,000 people). 

The health department reports that 148,466 people are presumed covered as of Dec. 13.

Click through the links below to view our interactive charts describing the trends around the coronavirus in Mississippi:

View our COVID-19 resource page for more information about coronavirus in Mississippi.

The post COVID-19 cases: Mississippi reports 1,767 new cases appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Donal Washington

Donal Washington

After schools closed in early March 2020, Donal Washington, 16, looked forward to what he hoped would be a normal upcoming school year playing sports and socializing with peers.

But not long after the doors closed, he suffered a tremendous loss. In July, his mother died of pancreatic cancer, he said. About a month later his school, Leland High School announced it would reopen virtually due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. All sports were cancelled until further notice.

“That was kind of hard for me because we couldn’t really have a funeral for her. And it’s kind of hard navigating through school,” the 11th grader said. “This is like my first time without my mom being in the picture.”

Washington, an honors student coping with his mother’s death and little social interactions, felt unmotivated to do his work. He said he did not learn as much as he would in a traditional school setting. 

Isolated from immediate family, friends and teachers, Washington hoped school could bridge the social divide. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic amplified the problems, such as failing internet connection and assigned busy work. This meant he could not reach teachers for assistance on assignments, or stay connected during virtual classes.

“It’s harder doing virtual. When we have work to be done … there’s something wrong with the internet either at home or at the school. Sometimes we don’t get as much learning time,” Washington said. “In some of the classes we don’t have teachers. They just give us work.”

As a coping mechanism, he took comfort in learning new skills, picking up old hobbies, talking with siblings out of state and spending time with his father and stepmother.

With students around the state scheduled to return to school this month, Mississippi Today recently spoke with several high school students who shared similar stories of isolation, loss and resilience as they navigated through their first semester of school during a pandemic.

Washington, like other students living in rural parts of the state, experienced connectivity issues which are a hindrance to online learning.

Thousands of other students enrolled in virtual learning struggle to engage, connect and learn through online instruction although the Mississippi Department of Education worked last summer and fall to ensure all students had access to technology and devices. 

Harold Rhodes

Harold Rhodes

Harold Rhodes, a 12th grade star athlete at Jefferson Davis County High School, also faces this issue. He said he can’t complete school work sometimes because he lives in Bassfield, a rural area with strained service. He said he also feared the lack of exposure in sports because a limited football season could cost him a sports scholarship. 

“We used to travel around the state down here to get exposure and to get better. And I didn’t get to do much of that this summer because of COVID. So now I’m just playing sports down here at my school,” Rhodes, who plays tight end, said. In addition, Rhodes plays basketball, baseball and runs track.

Once the season began, Rhodes’ worries of being recruited calmed. College coaches still reach out, he said.

For Bethany Miller, a junior at Yazoo County High School, her responsibilities have doubled. She attended school on a hybrid model before her school building closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. At home, she must complete her school assignments virtually and take care of her 5-year-old sister while her parents are working.

Bethany Allen

Bethany Miller

She said she feels alone and stressed at times because of her new responsibilities, and she can’t get immediate feedback with classwork or bond with classmates in or outside of school. 

“We have a schedule at school where we have to eat in our class, then it’s six feet a part at all times. That’s our lives,” Miller said before her district switched to virtual learning. “It takes a village because I know my mom wants to help out. She wants to be able to help my little sister and be there, but right now the thing is, it’s hectic.” 

Students who spoke with Mississippi Today said support from immediate family and the hope for a “normal” life helped them get through a difficult semester.

But the chances of a return to normal life are slim right now. COVID-19 infections continue to set new peaks statewide and nationally, and a vaccine likely won’t be widely available to the general public until later this year.

READ MORE: Here’s what we know about COVID-19 vaccines in Mississippi

Looking towards the future, students are hopeful. 

Washington wants to travel more.

Miller wants to spend time with her friends that are seniors.

Rhodes wants to “go back to our normal lives.”

The post How Mississippi students are coping during the pandemic appeared first on Mississippi Today.

• Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, who had a severe case of COVID-19, wants to delay the 2021 Legislative Session. Speaker Philip Gunn, who had a milder case, wants to go forward with the session.

The post Marshall Ramsey: The Rodeo Comes To Town appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

Lois Moore, Mississippi State Department of Health immunization program community resource nurse, prepares to inject Mississippi Medical Association President Dr. W. Mark Horne with the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccination in December.

Mississippi will push up its distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to residents 75 and older to next week, health officials and Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Monday. The state will then begin distributing doses to those 65 and older the following week.

In its first phase of distribution, the state is currently administering doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to healthcare workers and long-term care residents. Originally, those 75 and older were scheduled to receive the vaccine in mid-January, and those 65 and older were scheduled for February.

TIMELINE: Here’s when you expect to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Mississippi. 

The state health department is now operating 18 vaccination drive-thru locations across the state. Those eligible must make an appointment on the health department’s website — which also includes a full list of locations and schedules — or can call 877-978-6453 for more information.

Reeves also clarified the number of vaccines Mississippi has received and distributed. The state has so far distributed about 165,000 doses, and about 86,000 of those have gone towards the state’s enrolled providers. The remaining 78,000 are being distributed through a partnership between the federal government and pharmacies CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate long-term care residents.

Among those vaccines in the hands of the state’s providers, about 23,000, or roughly a quarter, had been administered as of last week, while only about 2% of doses provided through the pharmacies have been administered.

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs added that about 20,000 doses will go out to private clinics this week to help expand distribution.

Meanwhile, the spread of the coronavirus continues to reach new highs in the state, and Dobbs said he expects that trend to continue as post-holiday cases begin to be reported to MSDH.

On New Year’s Eve, 357 patients were in intensive care units with COVID-19, a new record for the state. The seven-day average for hospitalizations continues to climb after reaching a new peak last month, and the seven-day average for new cases saw a new high of 2,239 on Sunday.

The post Older Mississippians will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines next week appeared first on Mississippi Today.