JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) — Physicians with the Mississippi State Medical Association (MSMA) penned an open letter to Mississippians, encouraging them to take precautions and combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Mississippi has surpassed 175,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 4,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

The letter signed by Mark Horne, MD, President, MSMA; Jennifer Bryan, MD, Chair, MSMA Board of Trustees; and Claude D. Brunson, MD, Executive Director, MSMA, put out an urgent call to Mississippians to do their part to combat the virus.

“Physicians, nurses and other first responders are mentally and physically overwhelmed and exhausted. The toll of the pandemic has become personal not only to our citizens but also to our physicians, as we are losing Mississippians each day, at an insurmountable rate — many of these losses are physicians and healthcare workers,” the letter said. “We appeal to you, not just as health care professionals, but as your partners in health, and as your neighbors, friends and family.”

The physicians said they too are looking forward to some form of normalcy, but right now they are awaiting the arrival of a vaccine. Until that time, they ask everyone to wear a mask, avoid gatherings, and wash their hands.

“This is not forever but these things are highly impactful and as we watch our colleagues sicken and some die, we feel compelled to remind the public that we are now your last line of defense,” the letter said. “You personally hold the keys to your own health and to others as well as the risks posed to our healthcare heroes working daily to save lives. We call on you all to do your part to protect yourselves and each other.”