STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - The Mississippi State Medical Association held its weekly virtual coronavirus conversation on Friday afternoon.

State Health Officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, attended the Zoom meeting, giving his take on the virus. 

“We’re asking each person to take the responsibility to take care of your family and yourself," said Dobbs. "That’s the only thing that’s going to work right now.”

The pandemic discussion came on the same day the state reported a new one day record for the number of new coronavirus cases.

Dobbs' said those numbers will continue to climb if people don't do their part during the holidays.

“We’re not asking for a kidney," explained Dobbs. "We’re asking for a nice family dinner at home and a meal instead of a big party. That’s not a big ask when you’re going to save lives.”

As hospitals across Mississippi are running out of ICU beds while more people seek treatment for the coronavirus, Dobbs believes it is more important than ever to adhere to his advice. 

People who do their part to curb the spread of the virus can ease the strain on those overflowing hospitals. 

“What we want to do is we want to carry as many people across the finish line as we can and we need everybody to help us," said Dobbs.

He went on to explain the best way to keep yourself safe is to treat everyone as if they have the virus.