Mississippi adds 1,031 new coronavirus cases, sets new record for hospitalizations
Mississippi on Friday reported 1,031 new coronavirus cases along with 11 deaths — 1 each in Harrison and Jackson counties.
Friday’s report from the State Department of Health shows 711 people hospitalized with a confirmed case of COVID-19, and another 270 hospitalized with suspected cases waiting on test results.
That’s another record number of hospitalizations this week and an increase of 217 from just Sunday, when 585 people were hospitalized with COVID-19.
Total confirmed and suspected COVID-19 hospitalizations in Mississippi rose to 981 on July 10 from 662 on June 20, a 48% increase.
The six counties of South Mississippi had 91 new cases Friday for a total of 2,447 cases and 83 deaths since March 11.
Mississippi has had34,622 cases and 1,215 deaths since the pandemic began.
On Thursday, Gov. Tate Reeves ordered that masks must be worn in public by people in Harrison, Jackson and 11 other counties in the state with rapidly increasing cases.
MSDH said 45 of the cases Friday and 6 deaths were staff and patients at nursing homes, treatment facilities and long-term care centers.
Harrison County has four long-term care facility outbreaks as of July 9, according to MSDH, with 17 total staff members and 49 residents testing positive for coronavirus, and 2 deaths. Out of the 78 total cases, Boyington Health & Rehabilitation Center in Harrison County has 57 of them.
Jackson County’s numbers also are going to see a large increase in the next reports.
“Not a great day as far as case numbers,” Singing River Health Systems CEO Lee Bond said Thursday night. “Yesterday was a rough one with 24 new positives, but today was over the top with 40 COVID-19 positive cases resulting in our labs,” he said.
SRHS reported the death rate rate from coronavirus in Jackson County is 2.6%
Bond said SRHS surpassed 10,000 tests performed with 675 positives as of July 7, and about half of all cases are people under age 40.
Ingalls Shipbuilding reported 109 total cases, with 18 new cases from Sunday through Friday at the Pascagoula shipbuilder.
Stennis Space Center in Hancock County has 25 cases since the pandemic began.
Total cases in South Mississippi counties are:
George — 112 (10 new)
Hancock —138 (3 new)
Harrison — 1,096 (56 new)
Jackson — 744 (17 new)
Pearl River —281 (5 new)
Stone — 73 (0 new)
Sun Herald reporter Patrick Magee contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
