Coast has 1 new coronavirus death as Mississippi reports 982 more cases
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Mississippi dipped below 1,000 for only the second time in nine days with the state’s health department announcing 982 new cases and 13 deaths on Thursday.
The state health department put out numbers just after noon Thursday that showed Mississippi had set a new high mark for patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 at 950. By late Thursday afternoon, the state’s top health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, said that number had climbed to 975.
Dobbs reported late Thursday afternoon that the number of patients on ventilators jumped from 140 to 163.
The number of patients in intensive care had declined from Thursday’s earlier reported number, 293, to 278, according to Dobbs.
The daily total of new cases in the lower six counties also dropped to 85 after seven straight days of at least 119 new cases in South Mississippi. The seven-day average for the region is 147.
After Jackson County reported a whopping 185 new cases on Wednesday, that figure dropped to 16 on Thursday.
Harrison County added 55 new cases, bringing its total to 1,628. Jackson County’s total ranks second in South Mississippi with 1,384.
There was one new death announced for Jackson County, bringing the total there to 24 and 96 for all of South Mississippi.
There have been 48,053 total COVID-19 cases and 1,401 deaths reported in Mississippi. The seven-day average for new cases in Mississippi stands at 1,179.43.
As of July 19, there were 30,315 presumed recoveries from the coronavirus.
Total cases by county:
George — 202 (6 new)
Hancock — 219 (5 new)
Harrison — 1,628 (55 new)
Jackson — 1,384 (16 new)
Pearl River — 392 (1 new)
Stone — 113 (2 new)
Masks required in Mississippi courtrooms
Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph on Thursday ordered that masks be worn by everyone in all courtrooms in the state to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
“Public safety was a concern of the drafters of our Constitution and remains a paramount concern today. As such, the Court continues to balance personal rights with the constitutional obligation to remain open and accessible,” Randolph wrote in Emergency Administrative Order 14.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 12:59 PM.
