CNN’s Tapper interviewed Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves on the declining vaccination rates in Mississippi, 15-week abortion law.
This weekend on CNN’s State of the Union, host Jake Tapper asked Governor Tate Reeves whether or not he was concerned over the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 due to the low number of cases and vaccination rates.
Governor Reeves continued to maintain that the vaccine is safe and effective, and that is why he took it publicly in January. However, he stated that the decision to take the shot or not is up to individuals to decide.
“At our peak we had over 2,400 cases per day over a 7-day period. Over the last seven days we’ve barely had 800 cases in total over those seven days,” Governor Reeves said.
Tapper asked Reeves what happens when there is another wave if so many Mississippians are not vaccinated, then playing a compilation of various clips from past interviews with Health Officials saying that states such as Mississippi are vulnerable to a second wave due to the low number of cases.
Governor Reeves said that Mississippi is going to continue to monitor it very closely, but that COVID-19 cases in Mississippi are down 98% since January.
“Those same public health experts are the exact same individuals who have been advising President Biden who said in March that we were all Neanderthals because we were willing to open our state up and open our economy up,” Reeves said. “They were wrong then and they are wrong now.”
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs appeared to back up the Governor’s assertion, tweeting on Sunday that a high proportion of Mississippi residents have already had the virus.
“Our overall immunity levels are higher than many states with better vaccination rates,” Dr. Dobbs wrote. “And we have done a pretty good job vaccinating the most vulnerable.”
Dobbs shared a chart showing estimated seroprevalence, or the level of a pathogen in a population, to support his claim. Mississippi sits at 27.7%.
A high proportion on MS residents have already had the virus. Our overall immunity levels are higher than many states with better vaccination rates. And we have done a pretty good job vaccinating the most vulnerable. https://t.co/3sPgadcLtn pic.twitter.com/Mnpm2T3RP6
— thomas dobbs (@TCBPubHealth) June 6, 2021
CNN’s Tapper also asked Governor Reeves about the Supreme Court’s decision to hear arguments next term regarding a Mississippi law which bans abortions after fifteen weeks. This law bans the majority of abortions after fifteen weeks and only makes exceptions for certain medical emergencies, but not for instances of rape or incest.
Tapper questioned Reeves on whether he hoped this law would be a vehicle to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Governor Reeves said that the 2018 anti-abortion law that will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court is a “vehicle” to revisit the landmark 1972 case that made the procedure legal.
“The question is not, are you going to overturn Roe v. Wade. The question is: The science has changed and therefore it makes sense for the court to review their decisions from the past, and this is a vehicle in which for them to do it,” Governor Reeves said.
You can watch the full interview here.
Anne Summerhays
