'We don't know' if COVID-19 has peaked in Mississippi, Dobbs says

State health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said until we see it in hindsight, we won't know when COVID-19 has reached its peak in Mississippi.

TALKING ABOUT THEHOSPITALIZATION DATA FOREVERRIGHT SO THAT WE TALK ABOUTEVERY DAY AND WE AND WE HAVEBEEN SEEING INCREASING NUMBER OFPATIENTS IN THE HOSPITALALTHOUGH SOME STABILITY ANDOTHER METRICS LIKE ICUUTILIZATION AND VENTILATORS ONEOF THE OTHER CHALLENGES WERERUNNING INTO THAT I KNOW THATUMC AND EVERY HOSPITAL ISEXPERIENCING AS PEOPLE AREHAVING TO ACCESS HEALTH CARETHAT THEY’VE DELAYED THERE AREMORE PEOPLE GOING IN THEHOSPITAL FOR NON KOVAC RELATEDISSUES IN THIS DOES ALSO PUTADDITIONAL STRAINS ON THE SYSTEMSO THOSE ISSUES TO BE CONCERNEDABOUT AS FAR AS THE PEAK GOESWE’RE STILL WILL SEE RECORDING ALOT OF CASES.I WOULDN’T SAY THAT WE KNOW WHENOUR PEAK HAS BEEN SO FAR IF YOULOOK BACK AT OUR WEBSITE, YOUCAN SEE THE SINGULAR DATE OFMOST CASES REPORTED WAS AROUNDAPRIL 20TH, BUT AS WE GO FORWARDUNTIL WE SEE IT IN HINDSIGHT, WEWON’T KNOW WHEN OUR WHEN OURPEAK IS GOING TO BE AND WE’RESTILL CLOCKING A LOT OF CASES.SO WE’LL JUST HAVE TO SEE YOUKNOW WHEN THAT IS, BUT WE HAVESEEN, YOU KNOW SOME TO THESTABILITY, BUT WE’LL HAVE TOFOLLOW THOSE METRICS CLOSELY.I WOULD JUST FOLLOW THAT UP BYSAYING, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE THECHART THAT WE LOOK AT MOSTCLOSELY IS A CHART THAT HAS ATTHE TOP COVID PATIENTS THAT AREHOSPITALIZED THE CHART JUSTBELOW THAT IS THE NUMBER OFPATIENTS THAT ARE SUSPECTED TOBE COVID RELATED THAT AREHOSPITALIZED.AND SO WHAT IF YOU ADD THOSE TWOTOGETHER FOR THE LAST 25 TO 30DAYS THE NUMBER HAS BEEN VERYVERY CONSTANT.SAME IS TRUE BECAUSE THE THIRDDATA POINT THERE IS THE NUMBEROF ICU BEDS THAT ARE BEINGUTILIZED AND THE FOURTH POINT ISTHE NUMBER OF IS THE NUMBER OFPATIENTS ON VENTILATORS AND THENUMBER OF PATIENTS ONVENTILATORS HAVE BEEN BETWEEN 75AND 85 NOW FOR PROBABLY THE LASTMONTH OR SO AND SO WHILE WECERTAINLY HAVEN’T SEEN ADOWNTURN.WHAT WE WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU ISTHE REASON WE HADN’T SEEN THEDOWNTURN LIKE SAY NEW YORK HASIS BECAUSE NEW YORK HAD A HUGEPEAK.AND WHEN YOU HAVE A HUGE PEAKTHEN YOU END UP.GETTING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.WE ACTUALLY BECAUSEMISSISSIPPIANS WERE APPROPRIATEIN THEIR SOCIAL DISTANCING.WE NEVER HAVE SEEN THE HUGEPEAK.WE’VE JUST WE WENT UP AND NOWWE’VE PLATEAUED AND WE’VE BEEN.WITHIN A FAIRLY CONSTANT RANGEFOR 30 TO 35 DAYS.JUST FOR CLARIFICATION.ARE YOU SAYING THAT WE’VE SEENOUR PEAK OR WE HAVE NOT SEEN OURPEAK?WE DON’T WE DON’T KNOW.I MEAN THE DAY THAT SHOWS THEMOST CASES SO FAR IS AROUNDAPRIL 20TH.BUT YOU KNOW CASES COME IN ANDSO WE DON’T REALLY SAY WE HAVEABOUT A 14-DAY LOOK-BACK WINDOWBECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW, YOU KNOW,WHEN PEOPLE BECAME ILL AND THENLABS GOT DONE AND ALL THAT SORTOF THING.SO WE DON’T REALLY KNOW FORSURE.SAY NOW I’VE NEVER SAID WEREACHED OUR PIECES.WE ARE AT THE PLATEAU OF OURPEAK.IT’S IMPORTANT NOT TO LET OURGUARD DOWN THAT WAS ALL TWOWEEKS AGO TODAY.WELL, I MEAN, IT’S BEEN 11 MEANIT’S BEEN FLAT FOR A LONG TIMEIF YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW,WE’VE NEVER SAID WE’VE PASSEDOUR PEAK AND WE’VE ALWAYS BEENWATCHING IT AND IT’S BEEN IT’SBEEN FLAT OR FLAT-ISH, YOU KNOWFOR WEEKS AND WEEKS.SO, I MEAN, WE PARSE THE WORDS,BUT WE’VE NEVER REALLY THOUGHTTHAT WE’VE SEEN OUR PEAK POINTONE THING OUT BECAUSE THINK IT’SIMPORTANT AGAIN.WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DATA, I MEANOBVIOUSLY WE LOOK AT THE DAILYNEW CASES, RIGHT?WE LOOK AT THAT ON A DAILYBASIS, BUT WE ALL KNOW JUST LIKEWE SAW ON FRIDAY DAILY NEW CASESARE LARGELY CONTINGENT UPON WHENTHE TESTING GETS DONE.THE REASON OUR MODEL HAS WORKEDIN THE REASON WE HAVEN’T SEENTHE LARGE PEAK THAT OURNEIGHBORS IN LOUISIANA SAW ISBECAUSE WE’RE IMMEDIATELYCONTACT TRACING AND SO WEACTUALLY KNOW DATE OF ONSET OFILLNESS.AND THAT’S REALLY THE MOREIMPORTANT DATA POINT TO US THANIS.HEY TODAY WE HAD.WE COULD HAVE 600 CASESTOMORROW, BUT THE ONSET OFILLNESS WE MAY GET A TESTINGDUMP FROM FEBRUARY THE 10TH, ANDTHAT DOESN’T DO US A