George County’s COVID-19 cases are climbing, including a former football coach
After feeling a relatively small impact early on, the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning hit close to home in George County.
On June 17, the state’s health department had announced a total of 41 coronavirus cases in the county.
With a new single-day high of 15 cases on Friday, that number had nearly quadrupled to 154 over the course of a month.
Hospitalization numbers have increased across the state, and a prominent member of the community has been battling COVID-19 at the George County Regional Hospital in Lucedale.
Former George County football coach Matt Caldwell confirmed to the Sun Herald that he had been in the hospital since Tuesday. He said he was supposed to go home on Saturday.
“Folks just need to understand it’s for real!” Caldwell said in a text message. “It’s nothing to scoff at.”
Caldwell, 46, was the football coach at George County for four seasons before stepping down at earlier this year to become the director of athletics and operations for the George County School District.
“I’ll be wearing a mask from here on out,” Caldwell said.
Cases in rural MS counties
George County, a mostly rural community with a population of about 24,000, avoided significant outbreaks in the early stages while neighboring Jackson and Greene counties, which are even less populated, dealt with their own problems.
Greene County, home to about 13,500 people, has reported 134 cases and 10 deaths. George County has three deaths.
Nearby Wayne County has also been managing persistent community transmission with 595 cases and 20 deaths.
Jackson County, which was an early hot spot, has reported 874 cases and 20 deaths.
As the cases have risen in George County, Lucedale mayor Darwin Nelson says he has seen more masks being worn in the community.
“I’ve been reluctant to make it mandatory. Constitutionally, I don’t think I have the power,” he said. “We’ve left it up to the public. If somebody wants to wear a mask, we have plenty at our county administrator building.”
Mississippi currently has 13 counties under more restrictive guidelines, including Harrison and Jackson in South Mississippi. In those counties, people are under strict social distancing mandates and required to wear masks when shopping.
‘Steady incline’ in George County
The most serious recent outbreaks have mostly been in Mississippi’s largest population centers, but George County is learning that the coronavirus will leave no community untouched.
“I don’t mean to downplay it, but when we get to 250 cases, that’s 1% of the county’s population,” Nelson said. “Having said that, I do know several people personally who have it.”
With many of George County’s COVID-19 patients traveling to Hattiesburg or Jackson County for treatment, George Regional Hospital has not been overwhelmed yet by cases. As of Wednesday, there were only three coronavirus patients in the hospital.
“We’re not New York City. We’re more naturally spread out,” Nelson said. “When I talked to (Emergency Management Agency Director Nancy Smith) on Wednesday, she said our cases were basically the result of community spread. There’s no real hot spot in the county.”
What could prove problematic for Lucedale, the county seat, is that it serves as somewhat of a hub for surrounding communities and draws visitors on Highway 98 who are on their way to Mobile or Hattiesburg.
Nelson hopes that the recent trend slows down soon.
“It’s been a steady incline,” he said. “I’m looking every day, hoping it slows down. We’ll be prayerful and do the best we can to mitigate the spread. We’ll continue to live our lives until this mess gets out of here.”
