Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs discusses the coronavirus preparation committee that he will lead during a news conference, Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Jackson, Miss. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced the formation of the committee prior to issuing an executive order establishing it. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The top public health official in Mississippi will lead a committee to prepare the state for coronavirus, Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday
Reeves appointed a preparedness and response planning committee to be led Dr. Thomas Dobbs, a physician who leads the state Department of Health.
Dobbs said no cases of coronavirus had been found in Mississippi as of Wednesday. He said several people had been tested, but those tests were negative.
Mississippi has been working on a pandemic flu response plan for more than a decade, Dobbs said. He described the plan as “robust and well-thought out, well-maintained.”
The coronavirus steering committee appointed by Reeves will include people from the Mississippi State Department of Health, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and several other state government groups.
