(CNN) Fraternity parties in Mississippi have continued this summer, and as a result Covid-19 cases have too, the state's health officer said Thursday. Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs announced 381 new cases and five additional deaths in a press conference on Thursday. Quite a few patients have been linked to fraternity rush parties, said Dobbs, also an associate professor at the University of Mississippi medical school in Oxford. Early information suggests the fraternities have violated "We recently have identified a cluster of cases and outbreaks in Oxford, Mississippi," Dobbs said.Early information suggests the fraternities have violated state guidelines with the number of people they have gathered at parties, Dobbs said. Dobbs added that there are efforts to try to prepare for a surge of cases in the fall which he said "seems quite likely."

Source: CNN June 19, 2020 10:07 UTC