Officials warned about increase in post-holiday COVID cases. It’s under way in MS
Warnings from health officials were loud and clear, and many people in South Mississippi stayed home this Christmas.
The hope for 2021 is the vaccines will allow life to return to normal. The vaccine gradually is being administered to medical personnel working in hospitals and others at high risk. Through Dec 31, the Health Department reports 20,003 people in Mississippi have received the vaccine for the coroanvirus.
Still, Mississippi is seeing seven-day average new cases and deaths for the state and South Mississippi at or near record levels.
Those hospitalized in Mississippi with the coronavirus has climbed steadily from 134 in October to 1,282 in late December.
Saturday’s report from the Mississippi Department of Health shows in the week following Christmas, from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1, there were 1,761 new cases of coronavirus in South Mississippi. The week following Thanksgiving, there were 1,327 new cases.
Throughout the state, cases rose by 13,363 in the week after Christmas, compared to 11,654 the week after Thanksgiving.
The seven-day average of new cases per day now are:
Mississippi — 2,179 (peak was 2,196 on Dec.15)
South Mississippi — 294 (peak was 305 on Dec. 23)
The number of people who have recovered from the coronavirus in Mississippi now totals 167,263.
Saturday’s report, which reflects numbers of new cases reported on New Year’s Day, shows 1,891 cases and 24 deaths, 1 of which was in Pearl River County.
The state total is 220,277 cases and 4,840 deaths.
South Mississippi had 297 new cases on New Year’s Day. The total now is 27,609 cases, led by Harrison County with 11,000. Of the 506 deaths in South Mississippi, 159 were in Jackson County and 157 in Harrison.
Cases by county are:
George — 1,744 (4 new)
Hancock — 2,094 (20 new)
Harrison — 11,000 (157 new)
Jackson — 8,869 (49 mew)
Pearl River — 2,687 (54 new)
Stone — 1,215 (13 new)
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 11:05 AM.
