While several parts of the United States are seeing spikes in COVID-19 infections, Mississippi's cases and deaths have dropped. With more variants creeping into the state, health officials said Friday cases could rise.
"There's a lull in cases that we don’t think is going to last forever," State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said during a regularly scheduled Friday roundtable discussion.
State Epidemiologist Paul Byers announced the Brazil variant had made it to Mississippi. Though, Byers did not specify how many Mississippians tested positive for the variant. Like other COVID-19 variants, it is easier and faster to spread.
Mississippi has around 170 COVID-19 variant cases, Byers said during the discussion. The UK variant makes up the majority. Experts in Britain say the variant "may be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variant viruses," according to a CDC report.