PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — With more than 73,000 total COVID-19 cases and over 2,000 deaths, Mississippi is facing severe challenges with hospital capacity and has started to close some schools, just as they were beginning to reopen. The state, which is currently reporting a 27% positive test rate average, has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Dr. Thomas Dobbs, State Health Officer with the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), Mississippi’s early efforts were focused on travelers arriving in the state. It was not until disproportionate numbers of cases were seen in its Black, Latinx, and Native American communities that the state shifted its strategy.
“We need to make sure that when we consider new and evolving threats, that we use a health equity lens early,” Dr. Dobbs said. “We weren’t at the front edge of it, we were always trailing. We’re still behind.”
His comments came during a virtual COVID-19 panel hosted by the Jackson Heart Study Undergraduate Training and Education Center (JHS UTEC) at Tougaloo College on August 10. The panel was welcomed by Tougaloo College President Dr. Carmen J. Walters and moderated by student hosts Levell Williams and Cedonia Thomas.
In addition to Dr. Dobbs, other expert panelists included Dr. Paul Byers, MSDH epidemiologist; Dr. Marshala Lee, MD'11, Brown University and Tougaloo alum and director of the Harrington Value Institute Community Partnership Fund at ChristianaCare; and Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and incoming dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
Jha agreed with Dr. Dobbs assessment, citing inequities in the US healthcare system. Even when COVID testing is available, he said, testing sites are rarely set up in communities of color and often require drive-up access, further exacerbating already existing health inequities.
“As this pandemic progresses, we need to look at this thing with an equality lens as well as a pandemic lens,” he said.
Hosted as it was by a college, the panelists also focused on student populations and the importance of communicating to this younger group that following recommended public health safety measures, like mask wearing and social distancing, are not only important for protecting your own health, but for protecting the health of others.
According to Dr. Marshala Lee, HBCUs like Tougaloo, as trusted community partners, can act as effective advocates for testing and for following public health guidance.
“One death is one death too many,” she said. “We need to continue to stay the course, be safe, and hopefully we will have a better day soon.”