Mississippi is seeing a record number of people admitted to hospitals with COVID-19
The number of patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 infections continues to creep up in Mississippi, for the first time to above 500 this week and remaining above 480 since Wednesday, June 17.
More than 400 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infections have been hospitalized each day in the state since around April 23, with the exception of June 6 and June 7, when the numbers fell under 400.
On Sunday, the Mississippi State Health Department reports, 485 patients with confirmed infections were hospitalized with 95 on ventilators. The state hit a record Friday, with 516 people hospitalized with confirmed infections and an additional 173 with suspected cases.
The state had 22,287 total COVID-19 cases as of 6 p.m. Sunday with 978 deaths. The MSDH listed 17,242 presumed recoveries.
Gov. Tate Reeves started reopening the state April 27, without meeting public health guidelines for reopening, because of the shutdown’s crippling economic impacts, which he said could be more harmful than the coronavirus.
Reeves has said more than once at afternoon news briefings that his decisions are, above all, meant to avoid overloading the state’s hospitals and to prevent a shortage of critical supplies, including protective equipment and ventilators.
He and State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs have continued to urge residents to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid crowds. But many residents and business owners have ignored public health advice.
Late last week, Reeves said that doctors were faced with transferring patients because some areas were running out of hospital beds. He did not say where beds were scarce.
On a positive note, infectious disease Dr. Nicholas Conger at Gulfport Memorial Hospital said effective treatments for COVID-19 are emerging.
Transfusions with plasma from donors who have recovered from COVID-19 appear to help the immune system fight the illness, he said.
Also, if given early enough, the experimental drug remdesivir appears to shorten the recovery time for COVID-19 from 15 days to 11 days, a clinical trial showed.
“We’re learning more about this virus every day,” Conger said.
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 5:50 AM.
