New COVID-19 cases fall for 4th straight day in MS, but there’s a new high on Coast
Newly reported cases of the coronavirus dropped Monday for the fourth straight day in Mississippi, according to the daily report from the Mississippi State Department of Health.
The state had 572 new cases and 8 deaths Monday, according to health department data, dropping the 7-day average cases to 1,167, the lowest since July 21.
The number of presumed recoveries is 42,391, or 69% of the 61,125 total cases. There are 1,711 deaths in the state.
None of the new deaths reported Monday were in South Mississippi, which has 124 deaths since the pandemic began.
But 142 new cases in the six counties of South Mississippi Monday was the highest in the last four days. The 7-day average that had dipped to 152 on Sunday rose again to 166 on Monday.
Hospitalizations up and down
Slightly fewer people were hospitalized in the state with the coronavirus — 968 compared to the record of 989 Sunday. Six fewer patients are on the ventilator at 172, down from the high of 178 Friday. But the 302 patients in ICU statewide is a high.
South Mississippi doesn’t have the critical shortage of ICU beds as some parts of the state. Mississippi has 906 ICU beds. Of those, 161 were available as of Aug. 1, with 24% of those available in the six counties of South Mississippi, which makes up District 9 on the state maps.
Out South Mississippi’s 127 ICU beds, 39 are being used by COVID-19 patients.
As of July 25, South Mississippi had six total deaths in people under 50, including one under age 30 in Jackson County.
In every county except Pearl River, the highest number of cases is in the 18-29 age group. The proportion of cases in this age group is most dramatic in Harrison County where 434 cases in that age group compared to the next highest 316 in people in their 30s, and in Jackson County that has 422 cases in the 18-29 compared to 254 in their 40s.
Coast COVID cases
Total cases for South Mississippi since March 11 are 5,666. By county totals are:
George — 547 (6 new)
Hancock — 336 (10 new)
Harrison — 2,152 (54 new)
Jackson — 1,994 (65 new)
Pearl River — 485 (3 new)
Stone — 152 (4 new)
Ingalls Shipbuilding reported 8 new cases Monday and 67 in the last four days. The total cases at the Pascagoula shipyard is is 441, with 247 eligible to return to work and 194 still out of work.
Stennis Space Center changed the way it reports cases Monday, switching from active cases rather than total cases. There are 19 active cases.
July saw big COVID increases
The average number of new cases of the coronavirus nearly doubled in Mississippi in July and almost tripled in South Mississippi.
Mississippi 7-day average of new cases:
June 1 — 328 average cases a day
July 1 — 639
Aug. 1 — 1,257
Deaths increased statewide by 320 in June and 581 in July.
South Mississippi 7-day average of new cases:
June 1 — 8 average cases a day
July 1 — 54
Aug. 1 — 155
Deaths in South Mississippi increased by 42 in June and by 73 in July.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 1:39 PM.
