pandemic
by Nick Judin
T
he new year dawns on a Mississippi in deep crisis, with the last week of 2020 breaking many key coronavirus records as the situation continues to deteriorate in the state’s hospitals. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs warned on Twitter of another record in new hospitalizations. An average of 162 Mississippians were hospitalized for COVID-19 every day for the week ending Jan. 2; the now-dwarfed summer peak’s highest weekly rate was 114. On Tuesday, the Mississippi State Department of Health announced 1,767 new cases of COVID-19 and 91 deaths, the highest single-day report of fatalities in the pandemic so far, a record that has been repeatedly surpassed as the post-holiday surge has claimed additional lives. On Monday, Jan. 4, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that Mississippi would be altering its COVID-19 vaccination schedule to
favor older Mississippians receiving the vaccine first. Previously, a multi-tiered system pairing aging Mississippians with a broad range of essential workers aimed to provide vaccine access to those 65 and older sometime in February. Now, individuals 75 and older will be able to apply for the vaccine at private clinics as early as Jan. 10. For those 65 and older, access should begin on Jan. 17. Dobbs told the Jackson Free Press at a Jan. 5 press event that the new guidelines target the most vulnerable populations, those disproportionately represented in the state’s hospitals. “Twelve percent of those who get diagnosed with COVID over the age of 65 die. About one in eight. That’s astounding,” Dobbs said. Reeves pointed to the significant proportion of deaths derived from older populations. “Of the total fatalities that are marked as a result of COVID—about 4,800 total fatalities to date—3,732 of them are over the age of 65,” he said. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told The Today Show on Tuesday that states should not let carefully targeted vaccine recipient criteria slow down the rollout of available doses. “Your headline today should be, ‘Surgeon General tells states and governors to move quickly to other priority groups,’” Adams said. Hospital Transfers Under Scrutiny Currently, Mississippi is operating under MSDH’s COVID-19 System of Care guidelines. As the public-health agency explained on Dec. 20, “Mississippi has reached a point where hospitals can no lon-
Aiming for 10-fold Capital Increase Structural barriers to accessing financing at traditional banks and institutions that administered relief programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fueled this lopsided effect, the foundation reported. “Negative or nonexistent credit information, cash constraints, and lack of availability of private capital and access to affordable financing are all components that limit a community’s economic development,” the report said. “These conditions also cause lost job opportunities, restrict housing options, and ultimately limit the goals of many low and middle-income families.” “An estimated 26.5 million U.S. adults are not in the formal credit econo-
Stephen Wilson/File photo
41% of Black-owned firms closed down due to the pandemic against 17% white-owned between February and April 2020 and a national average of 22%.
Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba appreciates the capital city’s inclusion in The Rockefeller Foundation Opportunity Collective.
my. Federal data show that 15% of Black and Hispanic Americans are credit invis-
ger accommodate acute clinical demands.” While the COVID-19 system-of-care orders are in effect, Mississippi has a central authority for hospital transfers for critical care: Mississippi Med-Com, located at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Marc Rolph, executive director of communications at UMMC, explained to the Jackson Free Press in an interview that
“We’ve been in the same realm for hospitalizations for the last month,” Rolph said. Typically, hospitals seeking a transfer to a higher setting of care will contact other institutions directly. That has become nearly impossible in a winter of unmitigated viral spread and skyrocketing hospitalizations, necessitating a central management system. courtesy UMMC Communications.
Vaccinations For Mississippi Elders Opening Soon, State’s Hospitals Under Stress
Vaccine availability is being extended to all Mississippians 65 or older in the next two weeks. Currently, hospital transfers are being carefully managed statewide, protecting an extremely fragile system.
the command center is managing criticalcare transfers on a rotational basis, slowly working its way through the state’s facilities equipped with intensive-care units to maximize the limited space available. For UMMC, that means fewer transfers than in previous spikes—a necessity as the hospital simply has no more room.
Just as Dr. Dobbs warned the Jackson Free Press in June, the rationing on transfers applies to all ICU patients statewide, not just those infected with COVID-19. Read the JFP’s coverage of COVID-19 at jacksonfreepress.com/covid19. Email state reporter Nick Judin at nick@jacksonfreepress. com and follow him on Twitter @nickjudin.
ible (compared to just 8% of White and Asian Americans). In the U.S., Black and Hispanic businesses receive only 2.5% and 5.8% of funding through the Small Business Administration.” On how the program has been running in other cities after the June launch, Rolley said some of the partners include venture-capital funds; business incubators providing technical, marketing, finance and other forms of direct support to entrepreneurs. He said the foundation would be delighted to see a 10-fold increase in private capital moving to businesses owned by BIPOC—Black, Indigenous and people of color—entrepreneurs in Jackson as the program unfolds in the city. Rolley said the organization felt that there are good partners in Jackson that align with their focus on the BIPOC population. The next step will include a Jackson-tailored action plan, mapping out the goals, and the timeframe for
achieving them in concert with the city and in partnership with qualified government and quasi-government agencies, together with community and religiousbased groups and other nonprofits. “We think that there are a number of strong potential partners throughout Jackson,” he said. “If there were not folks who are thinking about this, (thinking) of how do you increase access to capital and wealth for people of color, Jackson then would not have been selected.” “We have the intention to be staying in Jackson and 11 other cities for the long haul,” he added. “So at the very least for the next three to five years, but pending internal approvals, we really are looking to do this work over the next 10 years. (I am) just really excited to add Jackson to the family.” Email tips to city/county reporter Kayode Crown at kayode@jacksonfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @kayodecrown.
January 6 - 19, 2021 • jfp.ms
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