Thread by @ashtonpittman

BREAKING: An 8th grade Mississippi girl died this morning hours after testing positive for COVID-19. She attended classes throughout the week at a school that began with no mask mandate.

Yesterday, Gov. Tate Reeves downplayed the danger to schoolchildren. mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

Gov. Reeves yesterday on masks in schools: “I don’t have any intention of issuing a statewide mask mandate for any category of Mississippians at this time. I don’t know how I can say that differently other than the way I’ve said it repeatedly..." mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

Gov. Reeves yesterday on masks in schools: “I don’t have any intention of issuing a statewide mask mandate for any category of Mississippians at this time. I don’t know how I can say that differently other than the way I’ve said it repeatedly..." mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

The Smith County School District, where the deceased student attended, made masks optional when students began classes on Aug. 6.

But amid widespread COVID-19 outbreaks, the district reversed its decision and decided to require masks on Aug. 10.
mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

As of yesterday, at least 76 students and 11 educators in the Smith County School District had tested positive; 411 students and 11 educators were quarantined by that point.

This morning, the 8th grade student died hours after testing positive. mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

Gov. Tate Reeves yesterday: “If you look at those individuals under the age of 12, what you find is that it is very rare that kids under the age of 12 have anything other than the sniffles. Does it happen from time to time? Sure it does." mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

Yesterday, Gov. Reeves could not recall how many Mississippi children had died of COVID-19:

REEVES: "I believe we've had 1 fatality of an individual, maybe it could’ve been 2—I think there’s 3 under the age of 18 at this time? 2?”

DR. DOBBS: "Four."
mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

A Pearl County High School teen died of the virus in late July, several days before classes began. The nearby Pearl River County School District, which began with no mask mandates, had to go all-virtual this week due to widespread outbreaks.mississippifreepress.org/14689/pearl-ri…

Yesterday, Gov. Reeves rejected calls for requiring masks in all schools, but offered parents this advice:

"I would recommend that they go to their school district if they think the best thing to do is to make masks mandatory in their school district."
mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Dobbs: "We do know kids in a structured setting with masks on is the right thing to do to keep kids in schools longer."

Gov. Reeves, minutes later: "I have no intention of issuing a statewide mask mandate in schools.”mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

VIDEO: Gov. Reeves yesterday said masks weren't needed bc child COVID deaths are "very rare" in MS.

REEVES: "We've had 1 fatality of an individual, maybe it could've been 2—I think there’s 3 under the age of 18 at this time? 2?”

DOBBS: "4."

It rose to 5 this morning.

At the presser, Gov. Tate Reeves mocked a vaccinated reporter for wearing a mask.

"If you really want to virtue signal, why are you in this room? Why don't you go to your house & lock yourself up," he said in front of the mask state health officer.
mississippifreepress.org/14795/gov-reev…

Mississippi's only pediatric hospital is full, including with children on ventilators.

Statewide, only 12% of children ages 12-15 are vaccinated. Children younger than 12 are not currently elligible for any of the currently available vaccines.
mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

Statewide, child hospitalizations for COVID-19 have skyrocketed to all-time highs as schools began to widely reopen.

Dr. Dobbs said yesterday that while most children recover from COVID-19, about 5% of kids deal with long-term complications.
mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

Gov. Tate Reeves in January: "We're done burying loved ones who were lost to this virus. We're done with overwhelmed hospitals."

(h/t: @jallen1985)

You can help us continue producing important, truth-to-power journalism in Mississippi that puts people first and holds leaders to account by following @MSFreePress and with a one-time or recurring donation at the link: mfp.ms/donate mfp.ms/donate

Side note: Gov. Reeves has vowed to make Mississippi the "safest state in the nation for the unborn child" with abortion bans.

He is urging the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

(MS is No. 1 in infant mortality due to health disparities).
mississippifreepress.org/12837/fact-che…

Health officials have said Medicaid expansion would help reduce Mississippi's high child and maternal mortality rates.

But Gov. Reeves has steadfastly opposed doing so, calling it "Obamacare expansion." He has instead long prioritized abortion bans.
jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/jun/…

Even before COVID, about half of Mississippi's hospitals were in danger of closing due to financial troubles from lack of Medicaid expansion.

Today, hospital leaders say the delta surge is pushing the state's entire hospital system toward "failure." mississippifreepress.org/14659/mississi…

For anyone questioning the story about the Smith County 8th grader with COVID who died Saturday morning, Dr. Anita Henderson, the head of Mississippi's chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has also tweeted about it:

https://twitter.com/babydocanita/status/1426700260282408961

To clarify: The student was a high school teen in Pearl River County, but she was in the Picayune School District (a city district).

https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1426704032836505602

For clarity, the *official* child COVID-19 death toll is still 4. It takes time for the Mississippi State Department of Health to confirm any COVID death. We do know this child died with COVID-19 soon after testing positive.

But this was posted by an EMT in Smith County today:

*masked state health officer

The Smith County eighth-grader who passed away on Saturday hours after her COVID-19 diagnosis was 13-year-old Mkayla Robinson.

Her band director wrote: "She was the perfect student. Every teacher loved her and wanted 30 more just like her."
mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…

Because no one else had reported on her death yet, we chose not to publish Mkayla's name or photo yesterday pending her family's blessing or her identity being recognized locally.

Her school & local paper have now both published her photo, so we did too. mississippifreepress.org/14800/mississi…