Walter Isaacson is the king of the blockbuster biography. The former CNN and TIME executive has written the definitive histories of iconoclasts like Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Steve Jobs.
Isaacson was slated to headline the Mississippi Book Festival to discuss his latest nonfiction bestseller The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race. Though the annual event was cancelled for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans are underway to present author talks later this year.
Isaacson’s book spotlights Jennifer Doudna for her role leading the development of gene editing, which he describes as not just the biggest revolution of our lifetimes, but perhaps in the history of humankind.
Doudna won the 2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry alongside Emmanuelle Charpentier, making them the first two women to jointly earn a science Nobel. While The Code Breaker acknowledges numerous researchers who have pushed forward gene editing, Isaacson said that Doudna “did the most to figure out the moral implications.”
“When I met her, she was such an exciting and dynamic figure I decided she’d be a great subject, but more importantly a great role model for people who want to appreciate this new age we are entering,” Isaacson told Mississippi Today in an interview.
What Isaacson admires so much about Doudna is her lifelong pursuit of curiosity, starting with her youthful observations of nature growing up in Hawaii.
“That’s the trait that all of my subjects from Leonardo da Vinci to Benjamin Franklin to Jennifer Doudna have, and it’s wonderful because it’s a trait that all of us can nurture in ourselves,” Isaacson said. “Sometimes you pursue curiosity for its own sake—not because you need to know why the sky is blue or why the water swirls the way it does, but simply because you’re curious. And then that curiosity turns out to be useful.”
Useful is an understatement when it comes to gene editing. Doudna and Charpentier earned their Nobel for identifying how it works in bacteria. They realized that a special combination of RNA can cut and paste genetic code in certain areas of DNA nicknamed CRISPR, an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat.
The game changer is that this can also edit human DNA. Gene editing could soon prove to cure cancer and genetic disorders that cut lives short.
Scientific advancements in RNA technology have already contributed to the innovative development of coronavirus vaccines. In previous generations of vaccines for diseases like chicken pox and polio, recipients are given the actual virus in a killed or weakened form.
The coronavirus vaccines available now are different. Instead of the virus itself, they deliver a segment of genetic code called messenger RNA (mRNA). This code activates the body to create a lookalike to a piece of the virus. This helps the immune system recognize and destroy it later, after the mRNA in the vaccine itself decomposes naturally.
Additionally, CRISPR technology is being adapted for coronavirus testing and treatment. Home testing kits including freeze-dried CRISPR are on the horizon.
What CRISPR also makes possible — in stark contrast to vaccines — is the ability to make edits in human embryos that last across generations. Editing the “germline” allows an individual’s children to inherit the edited genes.
Scientists around the world are approaching germline gene editing as delicately as if it were radioactive. It strikes at the heart of what it means to be human, provoking an avalanche of ethical questions. One of the biggest concerns is whether gene editing could snowball into a new form of cosmetic surgery, selectively engineering traits deemed desirable for a costly price.
“Now that we have this tool, who gets to use it, who gets to decide, and when do we use it?” Isaacson said. “I think that one of the important issues we’ll face with gene editing is how to make it fair, to make sure that rich people can’t simply buy better genes and design their children and make them taller or have better memory.”
Coincidentally, meaningful precedents emerged here in Mississippi. The first ever heart and lung transplants were conducted at the University of Mississippi Medical Center by Dr. James D. Hardy in the early 1960s. At the time, transplant surgeons like Hardy were accused of playing God. The viability of organ transplantation ultimately led to its widespread practice under strongly enforced medical guidelines.
Fast forward to today, and Mississippi again plays a leading role in the advancement of medicine. Victoria Gray of Forest was the first volunteer for CRISPR-based gene therapy to treat her sickle cell disease, which has appeared successful thus far.
“Victoria Gray is one of the pioneers of this age of genetic medicine,” Isaacson said. “She was brave in order to be the test pilot for editing the genes of her blood cells so that she no longer has sickle cell. And this has shown the world that this tool can be very useful, instead of just some Frankenstein that we’ve created.”
Isaacson believes that Mississippians will continue to contribute to this new frontier of science.
“Mississippi is a place of great diversity. That was true of Florence in the 1400s, and it was true of Philadelphia in the 1700s,” Isaacson said. “That’s usually the mark of places that are cradles of creativity.”
As for Isaacson, his next big profile is already on deck. According to recent reports, he’ll be tackling a well-known and controversial tech entrepreneur: Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Emily Liner is the owner of Friendly City Books, an independent bookstore and press in Columbus, Miss.
Julia and Bill shared an incredible friendship, from times spent together at the cool tables of Galatoire’s to the muddy sandbars of the Mississippi River, where she and Hank were famous for ferrying guests to drink and dine. This intimate conversation between Bill, Hank and Mary Margaret features a slideshow of images from Bill and Hank’s personal collection, accompanied by stories of Julia, their friendship, and the adventures they shared.
Immunocompromised Mississippians who received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines can now schedule an appointment to receive a third booster dose through the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s vaccine scheduler.
Previously, the only way for people with weaker immune systems to get a booster shot in Mississippi was by seeking one from their own doctors. Now, a person can self-attest that they are immunocompromised and get a booster through UMMC.
More than 18,000 Mississippians have already received booster shots, according to data from the Mississippi Department of Health.
People who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are not eligible for boosters because the data on its use is several months behind that of the mRNA vaccines.
“Johnson and Johnson is giving individuals good protection from the severe complications, but it may well be that a booster is recommended for those individuals at some point in time in the future,” State Epidemiologist, Dr. Paul Byers, said during a press conference on Tuesday.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that moderately to severely immunocompromised people be allowed to seek a third dose on August 13, a decision that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quickly endorsed.
The soonest anyone can receive a third dose is 28 days after receiving their second one. MSDH primarily recommends boosters for severely immunocompromised people who have certain conditions or have received treatments that suppress their immune systems. According to MSDH, these include but are not limited to:
•Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies • Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy • Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within two years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy) • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott- Aldrich syndrome) • Advanced or untreated HIV infection • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 and older on Monday, making it the first of the three vaccines being administered in the United States to move beyond emergency use authorization.
“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, FDA Commissioner, Janet Woodcock, said in a press release. “While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.”
The decision will likely inspire new vaccination requirements from private businesses in Mississippi. Some hospitals in the state, such as the University of Mississippi Medical Center, announced vaccine requirements for employees and students before the FDA announcement. It is unlikely to move the needle at the state’s public colleges and universities, which have resisted such requirements.
Many hope that this approval will be the final step in pushing many across the country to get vaccinated. Scores of people in Mississippi have said that they were waiting on full FDA approval to get a COVID vaccine. It’s likely that some of those will stay true to their word, while others will move the goal posts for when they’d be comfortable getting the vaccine.
More than 1.2 million of the 2.45 million doses administered in Mississippi have been Pfizer doses.
The Pfizer vaccine has been available for people aged 16 and older under an emergency use authorization since Dec. 11. That authorization was issued after the vaccine was shown to be safe and effective in a randomized, controlled, and blinded clinical trial that is ongoing and includes thousands of individuals.
The FDA reviewed updated data from the clinical trial to support its approval decision, which included around 22,000 people who received the vaccine and 22,000 people who received a placebo, all 16 years of age and older. The results showed the vaccine to be 91% effective in preventing COVID-19, a slight decrease from the 95% efficacy rate shown by the data when the vaccine first received emergency authorization.
Pfizer’s clinical trials didn’t include children ages 12-15 at first, so the data needed to grant full approval for that age group is still months behind. The vaccine has been available for that age group under emergency use authorization since May 10. Data collected from the 2,264 trial participants in that age group showed it to be safe, and the side-effects they experienced were akin to those experienced by those ages 16-25. None of the children who were given the vaccine during the clinical trial contracted a symptomatic infection.
Though the FDA fast-tracked the Pfizer vaccine for approval, this does not mean the process was rushed, just that the agency prioritized it. More than half of the clinical trial participants were followed for at least six months after their second doses to monitor outcomes.
Sponsors of the early voting ballot initiative have started gathering signatures even though it is not clear their proposal will make the ballot even if they gather the required number of signatures.
The effort is in question after the state Supreme Court ruled invalid the state’s initiative process back in May.
Kelly Jacobs of DeSoto County, co-chair of MEVI78, the early voting initiative, said the supporters are hopeful that the Legislature will fix the process either in special session this year or the 2022 regular session so that the early voting proposal can be placed on the 2023 ballot.
The high court’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler and the city of Madison challenging language in the Constitution that resulted in the signatures having to be collected equally from five congressional districts. The state has had four congressional districts since the 2000 Census.
A July 23 letter from the elections division of the Secretary of State’s office instructs the early voting initiative sponsors that the signatures must the gathered “from the congressional districts as they exist at the time a petition is presented for approval,” meaning from four districts.
While the Supreme Court ruling makes the initiative process unworkable, the clock is still running on the early voting initiative and others, such as a recreational marijuana initiative. Initiative supporters have one year to gather the required number of signatures (about 106,000) from the time the initiative language is approved by the Attorney General’s office and by when other required paperwork is completed.
In essence, the supporters had to decide whether to let the initiative die or try to gather the signatures and hope the Legislature approves a plan that allows the signatures being gathered now to count as part of the fix.
“I know you want the convenience of early voting,” said state Rep. Hester Jackson McCray, a Democrat from DeSoto County, who is the sponsor of the initiative. “We have carefully followed the process and after four months have received permission from Secretary of State (Michael) Watson to bring this petition to the people of Mississippi for their signatures.
“We must collect the required 106,109-plus signatures, only from registered voters, in the next 12 month, to be on the November 2023 general election ballot. Let’s get started.”
Another option, Jacobs said, is that a robust initiative signature-gathering effort would highlight strong support for early voting, prompting legislators to approve a plan without it having to go to the ballot.
She said the ultimate goal is to allow Mississippians to vote early, in-person with no excuse. In April, the Center for Election Innovation & Research released a study showing that Mississippi is among only six states that do not allow no excuse in-person or mail-in voting or both.
The initiative calls for a minimal of 10 days of early voting.
Any fix by the Legislature to re-instate the initiative process that was invalidated by the Supreme Court also will have to be approved by voters. So, if the Legislature approved a fix in the 2022 session or even before, a special election would also have to be set for 2022 in order for the initiative on early voting to have an opportunity of making the 2023 November election ballot, which has been stated as a goal by the sponsors of the initiative.
A medida que la variante delta presiona al sistema de salud de Misisipi al límite y hace que los casos de coronavirus se disparen, varias organizaciones de apoyo ofrecen centros de vacunación del COVID-19 gratuitos y proporcionan información accesible sobre la pandemia en comunidades inmigrantes de todo el estado.
Desde abril, la agrupación Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance (MIRA), la clínica Jackson Free Clinic y la organización Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity (IAJE) han trabajado en la provisión de vacunas contra la COVID-19 y han combatido la desinformación sobre las vacunas y la pandemia en comunidades inmigrantes y de habla hispana de Misisipi.
En todo el estado, los inmigrantes se han establecido en comunidades pequeñas y rurales, que generalmente giran en torno a trabajos de agricultura y plantas avícolas de Misisipi, donde trabaja la mayoría de los inmigrantes que provienen de América Latina. En algunos lugares, como en el condado de Scott, casi el 12% de la población es de origen hispano. Ahí es donde se encuentra una de las plantas avícolas más grandes del estado y donde, en 2019, ocurrió una de las redadas de ICE de un solo día más largas del país.
A partir del temor a ICE y las políticas de inmigración del gobierno, combinado con el miedo a la pandemia de coronavirus, ha aumentado la necesidad de que las organizaciones de apoyo como MIRA y IAJE se trasladen a las comunidades inmigrantes e hispanas a fin de proporcionarles acceso a las vacunas, atención sanitaria e información confiable sobre la pandemia, indicó Lorena Quiroz-Lewis, fundadora y directora de IAJE.
“El miedo, creo, es parte de la vida de las personas indocumentadas y a eso se le suma la retórica de odio de los últimos ocho años,” le explicó Quiroz-Lewis a Mississippi Today. “Las condiciones de trabajo (de las plantas avícolas) generan brotes (del COVID-19)… Las condiciones en las que trabajamos nos vuelven vulnerables a contraer el COVID-19 y por eso necesitamos la vacunación.”
Desde abril, la clínica Jackson Free Clinic, donde un grupo de voluntarios brindan atención sanitaria para habitantes de Misisipi que no tengan seguro médico, ha colaborado con organizaciones de apoyo a inmigrantes para poder ofrecer más de 1100 dosis de vacunas contra la COVID-19, de las cuales 955 se les administraron a habitantes hispanos de Misisipi, según le indicó a Mississippi Today el responsable de divulgación de Jackson Free Clinic, Michael Hohl.
Hohl manifestó que, mediante la visita a comunidades de inmigrantes de todo el estado, desde Jackson Free Clinic se ayuda a eliminar las barreras que impiden el acceso, como el transporte a las clínicas o el hecho de tener que pedir un día libre en el trabajo para viajar o vacunarse. También dijo que la colaboración con IAJE y MIRA, organizaciones conocidas y confiables para las comunidades inmigrantes e hispanas de Misisipi, es vital para lograr que los centros de vacunación tengan éxito.
“Sabemos que asociarnos con organizaciones comunitarias locales en las que las personas confían es muy valioso,” señaló Hohl. “Si se puede ir a un lugar en el que la persona se sienta cómoda, un lugar en el que no se sienta intimidada, se elimina la primera barrera y eso nos permite abordar problemas más personales y privados... Esto les da a las personas, y al personal de salud, tiempo a solas con el paciente al que vacunan y, así, pueden hacer preguntas.”
El organizador comunitario de MIRA Luis Espinoza también indicó que otras barreras, como el idioma y el precio de los servicios de salud, también influyen en la decisión de los inmigrantes de no solicitar atención sanitaria ni vacunas contra la COVID-19. Desde que se realizó el primer centro de vacunación en Richland en abril, al que menos de 20 personas asistieron para vacunarse, la confianza de la comunidad hispana ha crecido. Ahora, cada vez más inmigrantes e hispanos se vacunan y solicitan información sobre el coronavirus.
“Fue difícil convencer a las personas y a las familias de que se vacunaran, pero, con el tiempo, fueron hablando entre ellos y decían ‘no, está bien vacunarse,’” comentó Espinoza.
Desde el inicio, Quiroz-Lewis de IAJE se ha enfocado no solo en la vacunación sino también en el suministro de información sobre la COVID-19 en las comunidades de inmigrantes. Las promotoras de salud de IAJE son mujeres inmigrantes de los pueblos rurales de Misisipi que ofrecen recursos gratuitos, como videos sobre cómo cuidarse si se contrae COVID-19, y paquetes con medicina de venta libre, vitaminas y alimentos. Quiroz-Lewis explicó que esto ayuda a que “la comunidad le enseñe a la comunidad.”
“Necesitamos enfocarnos en los miembros de la comunidad, la gente, y capacitarlos a ellos porque son los que asisten a las fiestas de quinceañeras, los que se sientan en estos espacios públicos, en estas iglesias”, le comentó a Mississippi Today. “Para mí, eso es muy valioso y puede ayudar a luchar contra estos mitos tan generalizados.”
Próximamente, se realizarán más centros de vacunación gratuitos: el 21 de agosto en Forest, de 12 pm a 3 pm, y el 28 de agosto en Laurel, de 3 pm a 5 pm.
A 23-week pregnant mother, recently diagnosed with COVID-19, died before her baby could be delivered. A COVID-positive 5-week-old was admitted to the hospital. A 5-year-old was in and out of consciousness at Children’s of Mississippi.
This was everything on Dr. Anita Henderson’s plate on just one day in mid-August as the delta variant of COVID-19 continues to rip through the state. Henderson, a Hattiesburg pediatrician, joined Mississippi Today’s The Other Side podcast this week to discuss the rise of COVID-19 in children.
“Our adults and our elderly were our focus last year. Nursing homes were a concern last year,” Henderson said. “But now with the Delta wave with this Delta variant, the kids are where we should be focusing our efforts and our energy. They must be our priority because COVID is running wild through the school system and through our children.”
While physicians are unsure whether the delta variant is more virulent or causes more severe illness in children, they are sure of this: There is far, far more of it. And the data bears that out.
A Mississippi Today analysis last week shows an 830% increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in children for the first two weeks of school in 2021 compared to the first two weeks this data was reported last August.
Children’s of Mississippi saw its largest number of children hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 on Aug. 19, with 28 children requiring hospital care. Eight of those were in the intensive care unit.
“To be honest right now, we’ve got a runaway train in our state in terms of children,” Henderson said. “We have one pediatric children’s hospital in our state. We have one pediatric ICU, and it is overwhelmed. So we are just asking people to do everything in their power to put kids first, to do what’s right for the children, to get them safely in school and to get them safely through this delta wave.”
Dr. Anita Henderson, a Hattiesburg pediatrician, joins Mississippi Today’s Adam Ganucheau and Kate Royals to discuss the dramatic increase of COVID-19 delta variant cases among children. While experts are unsure whether the delta variant is more virulent or causes more severe illness in children, they are sure of this: There is far, far more of it.
Adam Ganucheau: Welcome to The Other Side, Mississippi Today’s political podcast. I’m your host, Adam Ganucheau. The Other Side lets you hear directly from the most connected players and observers across the spectrum of politics in Mississippi. From breaking news to political strategy to interviews with candidates and elected officials, we’ll bring you facts, perspectives, and context that helps you cut through the noise and understand all sides of the story.
Joining us today is Dr. Anita Henderson, Hattiesburg pediatrician and president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Henderson, thank you so much for being here today.
Anita Henderson: Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity. I really appreciate it.
Adam Ganucheau: Sure thing. Well, it’s a pleasure. I was telling you a minute ago you’ve been so vocal on all this stuff, especially the last few weeks as the rise of the delta variant across the state has kind of gripped us. And just thank you for being here. It’s a pleasure. Also joining us today is my colleague Mississippi Today’s education reporter, Kate Royals.
Kate, this is your first time on the podcast, I think, right?
Kate Royals: It is.
Adam Ganucheau: It’s hard to believe that just given the many stories that you’ve done. Anyways, just excited for both of y’all to be here. Dr. Henderson, I’m going to have just a very general question for you in just a second, but before we get to you, Kate, you published a story late last week talking sort of about, like I said, the rise of COVID in Mississippi, particularly among children. You know, of course as education reporter, this is a big deal for you. You cover what happens across the schools in Mississippi, but your story to me was pretty shocking. The data that you presented, provided to sort of back up the claim that more children than ever are getting COVID was pretty shocking.
Just tell us a little bit about that story.
Kate Royals: So, you know, something I’ve been hearing from pediatricians and other experts in the state is that this is just a very different coronavirus this year that we’re dealing with when it comes to kids, as opposed to last year. You know, last year we heard a lot of the line about, you know, “Kids don’t seem to be getting in as much or sick or spreading it as much.” And that is just not the case this year the data shows and the experts say. So actually the five to 17 age group in Mississippi made up the largest share or percentage of total COVID cases in the state in the past week than it ever has before in the pandemic. So, you know, I think it was around 18% of the total cases.
And, you know, the hospitals are seeing this, the schools are seeing this. It’s just very apparent that it’s a different situation than last year.
Adam Ganucheau: We talk a lot about sort of data and, you know, Mississippi Today, we have like several full-time folks, like focused on just providing the numbers because unfortunately a lot of people will tune out the experts for political reasons, for other reasons.
And we think the numbers are important. So I don’t want this whole podcast to be just about the numbers. And I think Dr. Henderson you would agree with that, but one stat that I wanted to read from your story, Kate, which I just thought was really shocking. I mean, my mouth literally hung open when I read it sort of to try to quantify what we’re talking about here, the rise of COVID and children.
Looking at just the data that public schools across the state, public school districts across the state are reporting to the state department of health about COVID outbreaks, positive cases confirmed in their schools. I’m just going to read the sentence. “A Mississippi Today analysis shows an 830% increase in the number of COVID cases in children for the first two weeks of school this year, compared to the first two weeks of school last year.” Eight hundred-thirty percent increase this year compared to last year.
So to me there’s no better illustration of what we’re dealing with here. Dr. Henderson, so I want to get you to sort of weigh in and ask you just generally to kick us off. The numbers aside, everything else going on, what are you seeing and hearing on the ground? You know, what are you seeing yourself? What are you hearing from other pediatricians across the state about what’s happening in Mississippi right now?
Anita Henderson: Well, you are absolutely correct. And Kate is absolutely correct that the numbers this year for August are far and away exceeding what we ever saw during the entire pandemic last year. School started here in south Mississippi in Lamar County about three weeks ago.
And at that point, masks were optional. The Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the department of health, had recommended back in mid-July that all schools start with masks mandatory for all children, just because we knew that number one, they worked last year and kids were able to stay in school.
And number two, we knew that the delta variant was different. We knew it was affecting children. It was much more contagious. So some schools started with masks mandatory, but a large number started with them optional. And so just in the last few weeks, we have seen that significant rise. What pediatricians throughout the state are telling me is they have been inundated with calls, with questions and with concerned parents. One thing I like to remind people is that a child does not live in a bubble. So if a child comes home from school with coronavirus, they have to be cared for by a parent. They have siblings. So one child coming home is going to transmit it in general throughout the household. It just is how things work.
In fact, I got a phone call this morning from a friend, a family of six. Both the parents were vaccinated, but a child has come home from school with COVID, and now it has just gone from child to child to child. And so those parents want to know what to do. Under the age of 12, there is no ability to get vaccinated, but over the age of 12, the first foremost thing that our parents can do to protect their children is get them vaccinated.
If they haven’t done that already, go ahead and do it now. We unfortunately only have about 12% of kids 12 to 15 who are fully vaccinated, so that means there are a lot of kids in the school system who aren’t vaccinated. So we would ask them to get vaccinated. Make that plan today. The second thing we’re asking parents to do is contact their school’s district, contact their school board and their superintendent and encourage them to require masks within the classroom setting for all students. Some of our school boards have wanted to do this. But they have gotten pushback from the few parents who are opposed to masks. So this is a situation in which, in some instances, the few vocal parents are outweighing and out shouting the rest of the student body, the rest of the parents.
So we’re asking parents to be more proactive. We’re asking them to support school systems that have instituted those masks. And then the third thing, you know, right now, we just need to put a pause on some things. We just need to take a break from unnecessary activities. We can have those big birthday parties another time.
But to be honest right now, you know, we’ve got a runaway train in our state in terms of children. And we have one pediatric children’s hospital in our state. We have one pediatric ICU, and it is overwhelmed. So we are just asking people to do everything in their power to put kids first, to do what’s right for the children, to get them safely in school and to get them safely through this delta wave.
Kate Royals: Speaking of vaccinations and kids, and I know you gave that statistic about, I think you said the 12% and the 12 to 15 age range. What’s the status of the vaccinations for the 12 and under, and even the five and under. Do you know?
Anita Henderson: We are hearing, you know, that the Pfizer and Moderna trials have some very good data that will go to the FDA and the ACIP soon.
It’s possible we might have a vaccine down to the age of five in September, but we’re also hearing mid-winter. And so for those people who have children under the age of 12 who are unable to be vaccinated, the best thing they can do for their children right now is to make sure everyone else around them is vaccinated.
Make sure parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, anyone who’s 12 and up around that child should be vaccinated.
Adam Ganucheau: Dr. Henderson, you talked about sort of the importance of wearing masks in schools. And this is a political podcast after all. We’ve talked a lot about the response or lack of response at times from Governor Tate Reeves.
You kind of laid this out pretty well a minute ago, but a year ago as schools were determining how and if to go back to class in-person, Governor Reeves issued a statewide school’s mask mandate. To your point, I think you and other experts across the board said consistently that that’s sort of what kept so many schools in the classrooms.
The masks obviously the data shows that they do limit the spread of the virus, even among children, especially among children. This year, of course, was different. The governor instead of issuing that mask mandate has left it up to the local school boards to decide for themselves. What that has meant is that some school district to this day, even after sort of outbreaks in their schools, have been hesitant or haven’t at all issued a mask mandate for the school buildings. Of course, this issue has been so politicized. It’s been just sort of this vitriolic political issue that we’re seeing across the country, and especially in Southern states. You know, the governor continues to make it political as he’s asked about it. I guess it was a couple of weeks ago your organization, the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, joined forces publicly with the Mississippi Association of Educators to call on Governor Reeves to issue a statewide mandate saying, “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
I believe that’s the exact quote from that press release. Talk to us just a little bit about your thoughts on where we are in terms of masks in schools. And what do you make of the governor’s sort of lack of action this year, as compared to last year on this?
Anita Henderson: We really were very pleased last year when the governor issued an executive order, and it was maintained throughout the school year, that masks were required within the school system for K- 12.
So we were very thankful for that executive order. We feel like it helped children stay in school, and it helped keep them there safely. So we were simply asking the governor to institute that again this year because it worked last year, and he did that. There were other people last year who were opposed, particularly the end of the year.
I know he got some political flack for that. We were very pleased with that executive order. And so we were asking for it again this year because as pediatricians our goal is to protect children and keep them in the schools safely. So we’re not a political organization. We simply want to do what’s right for kids.
So my message to the governor, my message to a school boards, to school superintendents is think about what is best for that child. We have to focus on the kid. They don’t have a voice. If they were to be asked whether they would rather wear a mask and be in school versus not wear a mask and have to go virtual, they will tell you, “We will wear a mask. We want to be in school. We did it all last year, and we did it well.”
I think if the kids were asked, they would rather be in school. They’re not having trouble wearing the masks. Unfortunately some of their parents believe that it is— I don’t even know what to say that they believe it is. But we have data that masks work.
We have data that they work safely. They do not cause health problems. In fact, last year, when kids wore masks all school year, we did not see flu. We did not see RSV. We did not have to hospitalize kids with asthma attacks or pneumonia. In fact, last winter, the majority of pediatric offices throughout the state were pretty empty in terms of sick visits. And I think you’ve heard that nationwide, that there were fewer illnesses and fewer pediatric visits. This summer, when mask came off, when people started doing everything again, we started seeing a significant rise in RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, along with other respiratory viruses.
So, we know that masks work. We know they protect kids’ health. They do not affect their development or their language, and they keep kids safely in school. So, you know, the governor has said he’s not going to issue a mandate. So we have, and we will continue to ask school boards, school superintendents, parents to be the voice for children.
Kate Royals: Dr. Henderson, what kind of impact do you think it has on kids that there is this sort of mixed messaging around masks? And without the statewide mask mandate this year, like you pointed out, it is now left up to individual school boards. I mean, I talked to a school board member the other day who, you know, said he doesn’t believe masks work. And he’s hearing far more from parents against any type of mask mandate than parents for a mask mandate. And, you know, we find ourselves in this situation where these people in political positions that need to get reelected or reappointed are listening to people who don’t have an M.D. behind their name and don’t necessarily know the actual research. And I’m just curious, you know, what kind of impact is that having on children who can’t, you know, speak up for themselves or voice their own thoughts?
Anita Henderson: I think that is a very good point, and as pediatricians, we talk about the fact that children learn from their parents. They model the behavior that they see, they model the words that they hear.
And so when we have children hearing parents complain about masks, when we have children hearing parents complain about public health officials, complain about protocols that are put in place for their safety, you know, those kids are hearing that. And it does worry me that we are unfortunately raising a generation of children who don’t believe that public health is there to protect them. In person people talk to me and believe what I say and stop me at the grocery store or stop me at church in the past or call me on the phone.
So in person, people believe their own doctor, they believe their own pediatrician, but somehow in this social media space online, they feel very comfortable talking badly about public health officials, about physicians, about people who are trying to protect their kids. So unfortunately the children are seeing that.
And I would caution parents to think about what they’re saying, think about what they’re teaching their children because the teachers, the parents, the physicians out there, our goal is to protect kids. Our goal is to get them in school safely because we know that’s where they learn best. That is our goal.
We don’t have a political goal. We have a goal of protecting children.
Adam Ganucheau: Dr. Henderson, this has been such a great conversation. I want to close by asking you for anyone listening, who might still doubt whether or not this is affecting kids in a much sort of a more profound way during this fourth wave, for anyone who doubts the the efficacy of mask wearing and sort of how that slows the spread of the virus, do you have any just stories, anecdotes of that you’ve heard the last few days or weeks that might mean something to somebody out there who’s still kind of on the fence about these things? Anything that has struck you specifically that’s happened to a child or a family that you’d like to share with us as we close here?
Anita Henderson: Thank you. I have so many stories, but I’ll just start with kind of what happened to me last Monday. A pregnant mom at our local hospital who was 23 years old and had a baby at 23 weeks, she passed away. She died of COVID before her baby was even able to be delivered. A few hours later, we admitted a five week old from my clinic to the hospital with COVID and all throughout that day and the next day, I was concerned and worried about a five-year-old from our area who was in the children’s hospital with multi-system inflammatory syndrome who was in and out of consciousness. So those things, that is just what happened to me last Monday. I also have patients who are coming in with long COVID in kids.
We didn’t even talk about that. Five to 10%, some studies have said 10 to 20% of kids may suffer from long COVID. A flute player cannot play the flute anymore because she cannot sustain the note. So COVID in kids, it does not affect them in as significant of a way in some situations as the adult.
Our adults and our elderly were our focus last year. Nursing homes were a concern last year. But now with the Delta wave with this Delta variant, the kids are where we should be focusing our efforts and our energy. They must be our priority because COVID is running wild through the school system and through our children.
So I just encourage everyone to look at what they’re doing, look at what they’re seeing, look at what they can say to the people around them to protect kids.
Adam Ganucheau: So actually now I lied. Closing message for anyone listening, even if it’s a simple one, what would you say?
Anita Henderson: Please, if you haven’t been vaccinated, do that now. It is effective. It is safe. We are giving vaccines within my clinic, my pediatric clinic and pediatric clinics throughout the state are doing it. We’ve vaccinated our own children. And if you have questions, talk to your doctor. They will answer those specific questions. So number one, 12 and up get vaccinated.
Number two, please wear a mask. Please model that good behavior to protect your children. Number three, avoid those unnecessary activities right now because we must do everything we can right now to slow the spread of COVID within our communities. And please support your school, support your superintendent, support those people who are trying to protect kids.
Adam Ganucheau: Well, Dr. Henderson, thank you so much for joining us today, giving us this sobering, but. important sort of update on where we are in Mississippi right now. Kate, thank you for being here as well. Thanks to both of y’all for everything you’re doing and for helping spread the word just couldn’t thank you enough.
Anita Henderson: Thank you so much again for having me. I appreciate it.
Adam Ganucheau: As we cover the biggest political stories in this state, you don’t want to miss an episode of The Other Side. We’ll bring you more reporting from every corner of the state, sharing the voices of Mississippians and how they’re impacted by the news. So, what do we need from you, the listener? We need your feedback and support.
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Subscribe to our weekly podcast on your favorite podcast app or stream episodes online at MississippiToday.org/the-other-side. For the Mississippi Today team, I’m Adam Ganucheau. The Other Side is produced by Mississippi Today and engineered by Blue Sky Studios. We hope you’ll join us for our next episode.
