MS Gulf Coast sees more than 200 new COVID cases on Christmas Day
South Mississippi reported 228 new coronavirus cases on Christmas Day, after hospital intensive care units in Jackson County reported no available beds just before the holiday.
On Saturday, Dec. 26, the state health department announced that the six South Mississippi counties had reported 132 new cases. No new deaths were reported on Dec. 25 or Dec. 26 in South Mississippi.
As is common over holidays and weekends, Christmas has seen the state reporting fewer cases: 1,527 new cases statewide on Dec. 25 and 845 on Dec. 26.
Six deaths were reported on Christmas Day and three on Dec. 26.
“Record COVID admissions AND the hospitals are already full,” state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs tweeted on Dec. 25. “Stay safe — remember that most people who spread COVID don’t know they have it. We catch COVID from the people we love.”
The health department’s list of hospital ICU bed availability and COVID-19 patients was last updated by Dec. 22. At that point, no ICU beds were available in Jackson County. Singing River Pascagoula, with 16 beds, was treating eight COVID-19 patients. Singing River Ocean Springs, with 24 beds, was treating 12.
Merit Health in Biloxi was also overwhelmed, with COVID-19 patients occupying three of its eight ICU beds and no beds available.
Memorial Hospital in Gulfport and Singing River Gulfport were both in much better shape: 14 of Memorial’s 38 beds were available with seven COVID-19 patients in treatment, and seven of Singing River Gulfport’s 13 beds available with three COVID-19 patients being treated.
All told across the Coast’s five hospitals with ICUs treating COVID-19 patients, 21 ICU beds were open out of a total of 99, with 33 occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Smaller hospitals in Pearl River and George counties were also under strain. At George Regional Hospital, COVID-19 patients occupied five of six ICU beds, and none were available.
At Highland Community Hospital in Picayune, COVID patients were occupying three of six ICU beds, with one still available.
Here are the cases for South Mississippi counties on Dec. 25-26:
George County: 1,666 total to date (7 new cases on Dec. 25, 13 on Dec. 26)
Hancock County: 1,882 (39 Dec. 25, 11 Dec. 26)
Harrison County: 10,133 (97 Dec. 25, 62 Dec. 26)
Jackson County: 8,367 (52 Dec. 25, 25 Dec. 26)
Pearl River County: 2,394 (26 Dec. 25, 14 Dec. 26)
Stone County: 1,109 (7 Dec. 25, 7 Dec. 26)
