Researchers Have Grim Warning on Mississippi

State will likely overtake Florida as top spot for new coronavirus cases per capita
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 4, 2020 12:08 AM CDT
Updated Aug 4, 2020 6:55 AM CDT
Mississippi Is on Track for a Very Unwanted No. 1
In this July 6, 2020, file photo, Mississippi legislators, staff and Capitol employees take advantage of a drive-thru COVID-19 testing center on the Capitol grounds in Jackson, Miss.   (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Florida is currently the No. 1 state when it comes to new coronavirus cases per capita—but Mississippi is on track to overtake it, NPR reports. In a grim Twitter thread, Harvard researcher Ashish Jha says Mississippi is "doing VERY badly but has received little attention." Testing is down 8% from two weeks ago in the state, but cases are up 37% in the same time frame; the daily death toll is skyrocketing; and much of the state is open with few restrictions and no statewide mask mandate. Plus, as one state doctor puts it, hospital ICUs are getting crowded and COVID-19 is "layered on top of our existing challenges," as the state has high levels of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and obesity. (More coronavirus stories.)

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