Group playing cards all contract COVID-19, Dobbs says

State health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs cited an example Monday in which the virus spread during a card game.

COVID-19 IS STILL HERE.THE CORONAVIRUS IS STILL INEVERY, MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY.IT IS STILL CONTAGIOUS.IT IS STILL DEADLY.AND AS CONTAGIOUS AND DEADLY ASEVER BEFORE.AND I TRUST YOU.URGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO TAKE ITA SERIOUS IN THE MONTH OF JUNEAS WE TOOK IT IN THE MONTH OFAPRIL AND IN THE MONTH OF MAY.THANK YOU FOR THE STEPS THAT YOUARE TAKING.GOD BLESS YOU.AT THIS TIME, I’M GOING TO TURNIT OVER TO DR. DOBBS.THANK YOU.SO TODAY WE’RE REPORTINGADDITIONAL 251 CASES BRINGS OURTOTAL TO 15,750 TO WITH FIVEADDITIONAL DEATHS AND A TOTALDEATH COUNT OF 700 N39, WECONTINUE TO SEE SIGNIFICANTCORONAVIRUS ACTIVITY MUCH OF ITIS BEING GENERATED BY COMMUNITYSPREAD PEOPLE GIVING IT TO ONEANOTHER IN THE COMMUNITY NOTNECESSARILY ASSOCIATED WITHOUTBREAKS OR LONG-TERM CARESETTINGS.IT’S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TOKEEP THIS IN MIND.WE’VE MADE A LOT OF SACRIFICESOVER THE PREVIOUS MONTHS AND WEDON’T WANT TO LET THAT TURN BACKBY BEING UNWISE AS WE GO INTOTHIS NEW ERA AND OVER THESUMMER.ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN EFFORTSTO ALLOW THE ECONOMY TO BE MOREACTIVATED.THERE ARE STILL VERY PRUDENTMEASURES IN PLACE THAT NOT ONLYALLOW BUSINESSES TO OPERATE BUTALSO TO PROTECT NOT ONLY THEEMPLOYEES BUT ALSO THE PATRONSUM, THE RESTAURANT STILL HAVERESTRICTIONS SUCH THAT THESERVER’S NEED TO WEAR MASKS ARETAKING CARE OF THE OF THEPATRONS THAT’S FOR EVERYRESTAURANT SIX FEET SEPARATIONBETWEEN TABLES AND 50% OR LESSCAPACITY TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE CANSOCIAL DISTANCE.THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE STILLGOING TO BE ACTIVE IF WE LOOK ATSOCIAL GATHERINGS, ALTHOUGHTHEY’VE BEEN LOOSENED UP SUCHTHAT A MAXIMUM OF 20 PEOPLE CANMEET INDOORS IF YOU CAN’T SOCIALDISTANCE OR 50 IF YOU CAN’T ANDOUTDOORS 50 IF YOU CAN’T SEWDISTANCE IN A HUNDRED IF YOUCAN.THESE ARE STILL PRUDENT MEASURESTHAT PEOPLE DON’T NEED TOFOLLOW.THIS DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOUSHOULD DO WITH FREQUENCY AND NOTBE CAREFUL REGARDLESS RIGHT NOW.WE’RE WORKING UP A CARD GAMEWHERE A HAND A GROUP OF PEOPLEGOT TOGETHER JUST PLAYING CARDSAND THEY ALMOST ALL CAUGHT ITFROM ONE PERSON WITH CORONAVIRUSEVEN SMALL GROUPS CAN BEDANGEROUS.SO BE CAUTIOUS IN THE SPECIALLYIF YOU HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS OF ACORONAVIRUS EVEN A MILD COLD ANDYOU THINK IT’S NOTHING OR EVENALLERGIES, PLEASE GET TESTED ANDDON’T GO TO A SOCIAL GATHERINGWHERE YOU COULD YOU COULD INFECTYOUR FRIENDS OR YOUR FAMILY, SOPLEASE BE CAUTIOUS.IF WE LOOK AT OTHER TRENDS, WEARE SEEING SOME INCREASED STRAINON OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM OVERTHE WEEKEND.WE HAD THE MOST VENTILATEDPATIENTS WITH CORONAVIRUS THATWE’VE HAD THIS WHOLE TIME.WE’RE DOWN 97 NOW, BUT OVER THEWEEKEND, WE HAD A HUNDRED ANDEIGHT PEOPLE WHO HAD CORONAVIRUSWHO WERE WHO HAD RESPIRATORYFAILURE ON THE RESPIRATORS.SO IT’S STILL THERE.IT’S STILL ACTIVE.WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS ANDPRUDENT NOT ONLY TO PREVENTTRANSMISSION, BUT ESPECIALLY AREGIONAL PERSPECTIVE.WE ARE PUTTING STRAIN ON THEHEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN CERTAINAREAS AND TO THAT END.WE HAVE NOTICED SOME AREAS THATHAVE INCREASED ACTIVITYSPECIFICALLY.IF WE LOOK AT THE COUNTIES THATHAVE HAD THE MOST CASES OVER THEPREVIOUS WEEK LEADING THE PACKIS JONES COUNTY JONES COUNTY HAD86 CASES BETWEEN MAY 25TH AND 31OUTPACING HINDS COUNTY A COUNTYWITH A MUCH LARGER NUMBER OFPEOPLE AND THIS ISN’T A NURSINGHOME OUTBREAK OR ONE SPECIFICTHING.IT IS NOT RELATED TO POULTRY ITSCOMMUNITY TRANSMISSION FORPEOPLE WHO JUST LIVE AND WORK INJONES COUNTY IN ELSEVILLE ANDLAUR SO THERE IS SIGNIFICANTCOMMUNITY TRANSMISSION AFTERJONES IS HEINZ AND THEN THESHOBHA WAYNE AT 57 AGAIN.WE TALKED ABOUT MAINE LAST WEEKAND CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THEGREAT WORK.THEY’RE DOING TO TRY TO PROTECTTHEIR COMMUNITY.THE LAST THING I WOULD LIKE TOJUST TALK ABOUT IS.THE NURSING HOME TESTINGINITIATIVE, YOU KNOW, WE DIDLAUNCH AN EFFORT TO TEST EVERYSINGLE NURSING HOME PATIENT ANDEVERY RESIDENT AND EVERY NURSINGHOME EMPLOYEE AND WE COMPLETEDTHAT LAST WEEK VERY PROUD OF THETEAM A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THECENTER’S HAVE BEEN TESTED 211NURSING HOMES COMPLETED ON TIMEAND THEN THE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND NATIONAL GUARDMISSION WITHIN THAT TIME PERIODTESTED TWENTY SIX THOUSAND SIXHUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN PEOPLEREALLY SHOW IN THE CAPACITY OFWHAT WE CAN GET DONE.WE PUT MINDS TO IT.SO REALLY PROUD OF OUR TEAMSTHAT DID THAT JUST SHOWS WHATMISSISSIPPIANS CAN DO.THANK YOU GOVERNOR.IT’S ALL I HAVE.DR. DOBBS.I ALSO WANT TO THANK THEHERCULEAN EFFORT BY THEDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH BY OURMISSISSIPPI NATIONAL GUARD.THEY STEPPED UP WE ASK THEM TOTEST 211 FACILITIES IN 14 DAYS,AND WE ASK THEM TO TEST ALMOST27,000 PEOPLE.AGAIN, THIS IS IN ADDITION TOALL THE OTHER TESTING THAT’SGOING ON IN OUR STATE THEYSTEPPED THEY SHOWED THE WORLDWHAT MISS TO BE COULD DO.I’M VERY PROUD OF THEM.I’M VERY PROUD THAT THEY WEREABLE TO GET THAT ACCOMPLISHEDAND WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TOWORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TESTAS MANY PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI ASPOSSIBLE.WHAT WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUTFOR THE LAST MONTH ON TESTINGUNLIKE WHAT WE WERE TALKINGABOUT IN MARCH WHEN WE SAID YOUNEED TO HAVE SERIOUS SYMPTOMSBEFORE YOU GET TESTED BECAUSEOUR CAPACITY IS BUILT UP IF YOUARE IN DOUBT IF YOU THINK YOUMAY HAVE IT, PLEASE GET A TEST.YOU GET A TEST AND TEST POSITIVEWE THEN CAN CONTACT TRACE WE CANDETERMINE WHO YOU’VE BEEN INCONTACT WITH WE CAN SLOW THESPREAD OF THE THE VIRUS IN YOURCOMMUNITY.IF Y