Mississippi Edition

A recent study provides more detail on transmission of COVID-19 in pediatric carriers.

Then, Alabama's governor is seeking to improve conditions in correctional facilities by expanding private prisons. But reform advocates in the region are urging a different approach.

Plus, after a Southern Remedy Health Minute, we preview the pandemic anniversary special.

Segment 1:

High school students throughout the state are gearing up for spring break. The week long reprieve from classes is often a time vacations and travel. But without an available vaccine for adolescents, health care professionals caution transmission of the coronavirus is still a risk for the demographic. And now, more details are being revealed about the extent of transmission in children during the pandemic. Around 38 thousand coronavirus cases have been identified in Mississippi children under the age of 18. But a recent study examining antibodies finds there could be as many as 10 times more pediatric infections than previously thought. Dr. Charlotte Hobbs, Pediatrician at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and lead author of the study says it's possible that many of these children never showed symptoms of the disease. She shares more with our Kobee Vance.

Segment 2:

Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama all have higher incarceration rates than most of the country, but each state is testing a different approach to address the issue. Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey recently signed a lease for two new privately owned prisons. This decision sparked uproar with the public and the legislature. From the Gulf States Newsroom, Becca Schimmel takes a look at the region’s differing approaches to reducing incarceration rates and overcrowding.

Segment 3:

Southern Remedy Health Minute

Segment 4:

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the day the world Health Organization first declared COVID-19 a pandemic. It's also the day Mississippi reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Coming up in place of Mississippi Edition tomorrow … we have a special broadcast revisiting some of the biggest stories of the past year in our region. It’s called “A Year Like No Other: COVID-19 In the Gulf States.”