For most of the last month, Newton County has been under a mandatory mask order. The current order will expire on Monday, June 1.
That being said, just because the order may get lifted doesn’t mean that we should stop wearing masks.
In our county, we have a confirmed 227 cases as of May 24 with three confirmed deaths, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. The numbers are worse in Neshoba, Scott, Lauderdale and Leake counties.
And if you’re trying to determine how many of those cases are active, it would be a safe bet to say that at least half of the cases should be treated as active. According to several medical studies, it’s likely the numbers are worse than we realize. According to a report published by Chinese researchers, the Covid-19 viral tests are showing about a 30 percent false negative rate, along with a 6 percent false positive rate.
That means that quite a few more who have had the viral test have the virus even though they tested negative. While we can’t put a number on that, it’s likely that MSDH numbers are lower than it really is.
While masks don’t provide the wearer much protection, it does help prevent the spread of the virus to others. Right now, we have to assume that everyone is a carrier. As much as we hate wearing masks, we need to keep doing it, especially in retail stores and other places where we can’t properly social distance ourselves. Even if you are healthy, help set an example for others.
