As the state battles the coronavirus, officials are contending with another potential issue — grocery hoarding at a time when Mississippi is not experiencing a food shortage.
“We are not at immediate risk of any shortage. You do not need to hoard. You don’t need to empty the shelves of your local grocery store,” Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday. “That will do more harm than good. You will still get what you need.”
Reeves said closures and reduced production at a handful of pork processing plants where workers fell ill around the country have created anxiety about a looming food shortage or other supply issues, but those fears are unfounded.
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson said the state’s farms are strong, even though the agriculture industry lost about half of its business when restaurants and schools shut down.
“We do not have a shortage of food in this state. We do not have a shortage of food in this country,” Gipson said. “Our farmers are still farming, and I appreciate every one.”
Gipson said the economic fallout of coronavirus posed a bigger risk to Mississippi than the virus itself and urged people not to make a run on grocery stores. “Greater than the risk of COVID-19 to our food supply is the risk of panic buying,” he said.
Recent storms may have had a more significant effect on Mississippi’s food supply than the coronavirus. About 120 chicken houses were destroyed on Easter Sunday, killing more than 220,000 chickens.
In other poultry-related news, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said the State Department of Health hasn’t collected any evidence of coronavirus transmission within poultry plants. However, officials believe some poultry plant employees in Scott and Leake counties may have spread the virus while living in close quarters and sharing transportation.
“We are moving into a phase where we think most of our cases are going to be driven by outbreaks,” Dobbs said.
That includes transmission between workers who are in close proximity to each other for prolonged periods of time.
A worker at a Sanderson Farms poultry processing plant in McComb fell ill and later tested positive for coronavirus in late March.
Statewide, health officials reported 246 new infections and 11 deaths Thursday for a total of 6,815 infections and 261 deaths since March 11. Among those being treated in a hospital, 146 were in ICU and 72 were on ventilators. Provisional health department estimates suggest 3,413 patients have recovered from the disease.
Dobbs said Mississippi isn’t yet experiencing a significant decline in the number of new cases documented each day and that transmission within nursing homes is still a major concern.
Noting that the vast majority of coronavirus deaths statewide are among patients 60 and older, as well as those with underlying medical conditions, Dobbs stressed the importance of continued social distancing from vulnerable friends or relatives.
Health officials relaxed testing guidelines earlier this week. Now, anybody who is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus or believes they were exposed to someone infected with the disease is eligible for testing.
“Please know, we’re working aggressively to increase our rapid testing,” Dobbs said.
A drive-thru testing clinic at the Pike County Health Department had triaged about 40 patients by midday Wednesday.
State health officials reported 148 infections in Pike County on Thursday morning, an increase of six since Wednesday. Seven have died.
MEMA Director Greg Michel said supplying PPE to healthcare facilities still represents a challenge for state officials.
“We are certainly in better shape today than we were yesterday,” he said.
