Live updates April 13: Shelter-in-place order still expires in a week, Gov. Reeves says

Mississippi State Department of Health reports 2 deaths and 161 new cases of coronavirus over the past day.

One of those deaths was in Pearl River County, bringing total deaths in South Mississippi to 23.

Pearl River now has 8 deaths from the coronavirus. Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties each have 5, and there are no reported deaths in George or Stone County.

There were 16 new cases in the six southern counties yesterday for a total of 406.

Mississippi had 161 new cases for a total of 2,942 with 98 deaths. On April 1 there were 1,073 cases and 22 deaths.

Total cases by county are:

George — 8 (1 new)

Hancock — 40 (0 new)

Harrison — 112 (2 new)

Jackson — 147 (7 new)

Pearl River — 88 (5 new)

Stone — 11 (1 new)

The increase in deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. dropped for the second straight day, according to today’s report from the Centers for Disease Control.

Over the last day, 1,456 more people died from the coronavirus, down from 1,927 in Sunday’s report and 1,989 on Saturday. Total deaths nationwide now stands at 21,942.

The number of new cases also dropped to 29,145 from 33,288 in Sunday’s report. Total cases now tops a half-million in the U.S. at 554,849.

7:45 p.m.

The MSDH released a new total of the number of Mississippians tested for the coronavirus — 37,733 people have been tested, 9,412 by the state lab and 28,321 by private labs.

6 p.m.

A federal grant is allowing the Mississippi Department of Mental Health and Mississippi State University to offer online training on youth suicide prevention.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among Mississippians ages 10-24 years old, DMH said in a press release.

Common warning signs of suicide include talking, thinking, or writing about suicide, talking about feeling worthless or hopeless, a loss of interest in activities one usually enjoys, or other significant changes in someone’s typical behavior.

“Social distancing does not mean we should be disconnected,” said Dr. Michael Nadorff with the MSU Department of Psychology.

“This is a great time to reach out to your friends and loved ones, particularly those who may be struggling, as they may not reach out to you otherwise.”

The Alliance Project training can be found on YouTube at https://youtu.be/pRKecOce7AA and the DMH Facebook page, www.facebook.com/dmhmississippi.

2:30 p.m.

Gov. Tate Reeves declared another state of emergency Sunday after 12 tornadoes hit different areas of the state, including two that followed the same path in South Mississippi.

He said there are at least 11 dead, more injured and tens of thousands without power. Winds reached up to 200 mph in spots and affected 30 counties.

“We are used to tornadoes in Mississippi,” he said. “No one is used to this.”

The governor also reiterated that his shelter-in-place order to stop the spread of COVID-19 is still set to expire in a week, at 8 a.m. Sunday, April 20.

“We need to open things up as quickly as we possibly can,” Reeves said, but that “we won’t be able to return to our typical lives right away.”

He said officials will discuss this week at when to starting relaxing restrictions, and “we will discuss our plans for schools tomorrow.”

When asked, Reeves did not mention the possibility of extending the statewide shelter-in-place order, but said it could be extended in certain hard-hit areas.

State health officer Thomas Dobbs also said officials could open things back up over the next few weeks, and that “it’s not implausible we could look at stuff for next week.”

Reeves said Mississippi is “very close to the top of the curve” and “almost through the worst of this.”

Dobbs agreed, saying the state is “going into a peak phase” for use of resources, and he provided numbers on how many patients are in intensive care units and using ventilators compared to how many are available.

As of April 12, 124 patients were in ICU’s with 206 more ICU beds available, and 84 patients were on ventilators with 496 more ventilators available.

He and Reeves said the state’s challenge will be making sure those available resources are in the areas they are needed.

2 p.m.

The BX and Commissary at Keesler Air Force Base will be open to retirees, their dependents and Veteran Healthcare ID Cardholders all day Tuesdays and Thursdays only, until further notice.

Active duty and their families are authorized to shop every day, but are encouraged to avoid Tuesday and Thursday to reduce the number of people in the facilities at one time.

Cloth face coverings are required to enter the BX and commissary for all patrons

10 a.m.

The Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport has released the name of the civilian employee who died of COVID-19.

Carol Jackson, a child-care worker at the Child Development Center at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, self-identified as a high-risk person for the virus and went on administrative leave after March 23, the military base said in a press release.

She did not display symptoms until March 30 when she went to Forest General Hospital Urgent Care and was admitted to the ICU. Her positive test result came back April 1.

“Her memory will live on with the children she has influenced within the child and youth program with her kind and caring soul,” said Capt. Bill Whitmire, commanding officer of the NCBC. “She dedicated her life (20 years) to caring and teaching others. Her coworkers and other associates continue to feel blessed having known her and worked with such a dedicated and loving person.”

7 a.m.

With residents sheltered in place, 11 people died in Mississippi on Easter Sunday due to severe weather and tornadoes. Gov. Tate Reeves declared a State of Emergency as damage is reported in 18 counties.

Highlights from Sunday:

• The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 11 new deaths due to COVID-19 and 139 new cases of coronavirus statewide. The total number of cases of coronavirus are 2,781 cases. The six southern-most counties have 390 cases, and 22 deaths.
• A civilian employee of the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport died of coronavirus, according to a release Sunday. The employee had other health conditions and is believed to have contracted COVID-19 through community contact and not on the job.
• The Moss Point School District announced it is temporarily suspending all all meal delivery and pickup due to the increase in cases of coronavirus in Jackson County.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 525,704 cases of novel coronavirus and 20,486 deaths in the U.S.
• Singing River Health System reported 7 more people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total to 144.
• Ingalls Shipbuilding reported 2 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 17. The latest two workers to test positive are contractors last at the shipyard on April 9.

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 10:30 AM.