MS surpasses 6,000 COVID-19 deaths as new cases trend downward
It took less than a month for the number of COVID-19 deaths in Mississippi to surge from 5,000 to 6,000.
On Jan. 6, the state reported total deaths of 5,013. On Saturday, with 36 new deaths reported by the state health department, the state has seen 6,018 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state in March 2020.
The rapid increase in deaths shows the strength of the holiday surge that state officials have highlighted in recent weeks. Total deaths in the state leaped from 4,000 to 5,000 from Dec. 8 to Jan. 6, while the previous increase of 3,000 to 4,000 had taken more than two months: Oct. 3 to Dec. 7.
According to The New York Times, Mississippi has recorded 201 deaths per 100,000 people, the fifth-highest rate of death of any state in the country. The states ahead of it are New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, all in the region of the United States where the virus hit hardest in the spring of 2020.
On the Coast, health care workers have witnessed a constant parade of death and suffering.
“I’ve held more hands, I’ve been to the morgue more in one year than I have in 15 years,” registered nurse Miranda Lewis told the Sun Herald earlier this week.
Although the pace of death remains high even relative to the previous peak during the summer, there are reasons for optimism in the state’s recent data.
On Saturday, the state reported 1,528 new cases, bringing the seven-day average to 1,595, the first time it has been below 1,600 since Dec. 1.
There were 290 new cases on the Coast, with the lion’s share in Harrison and Jackson Counties, with 135 and 73 new cases respectively.
The six counties of South Mississippi also recorded six new deaths due to COVID-19: four in Harrison County and one each in Hancock and Pearl River Counties.
Total cases by county since March 11 are now:
- George — 2,140 (7 new)
- Hancock — 3,128 (21 new)
- Harrison — 15,180 (135 new)
- Jackson — 11,428 (73 new)
- Pearl River — 3,704 (35 new)
- Stone — 1,592 (19 new)
Totals for South Mississippi: 37,172 cases, 660 deaths
Total for state: 274,190 cases, 222,812 presumed recoveries, 6,018 deaths
Friday, Jan. 29
January began with a spike in new COVID-19 cases in Mississippi following Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers and the month is ending with cases and hospitalizations trending down.
Gov. Tate Reeves said in a press conference Thursday that while the numbers are improving, Mississippi still has about 1,000 people in hospitals fighting COVID-19.
The pandemic is very much still in control, even as more than 200,000 people in the state have received the vaccine. Reeves said the biggest limiting factor to getting more people with “shots in arms” has been supply of vaccine.
On Friday, Mississippi Department of Health reported 2,186 new cases and 38 additional deaths in the state.
That puts the seven-day average at 1,642 new cases every day for the past week. The number is well below the peak 2,432 seven-day average on Jan. 10, but more than double the average of 741 on Nov. 1.
Another 415 new cases were reported Friday in South Mississippi, with more than half of them (216) in Harrison County.
There were 4 more deaths, added, 2 in Hancock County and 1 each in Harrison and Jackson Counties.
Total cases by county since March 11 now stands at:
- George — 2,133 (12 new)
- Hancock — 3,107 (35 new)
- Harrison — 15,045 (216 new)
- Jackson — 11,355 (99 new)
- Pearl River — 3,669 (43 new)
- Stone — 3,669 (10 new)
Totals for South Mississippi: 36,882 cases, 654 deaths
Total for state: 272,662 cases, 222,812 recoveries, 5,983 deaths
Thursday, Jan. 28
Mississippi’s state department of health announced 1,804 new cases of COVID-19 and 28 deaths on Thursday, putting the seven-day average for new cases at 1,623.
There were 390 cases reported in the state’s southernmost six counties as case numbers remain high in the area.
With four new deaths reported Thursday in South Mississippi, January is far and away the deadliest month of the pandemic for the region. There have been 151 deaths reported in South Mississippi this month after the previous high was set in December at 116.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 650 deaths from the coronavirus reported in South Mississippi.
Statewide, the number of people hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 has ticked back up above 1,000 to 1,006 after it dipped to 979 on Jan. 25.
There were 249 people in intensive care, including 162 on ventilators.
COVID-19 cases in South Mississippi:
- George County — 2,121 (11 new)
- Hancock County — 3,072 (30 new)
- Harrison County — 14,829 (175 new)
- Jackson County — 11,256 (110 new)
- Pearl River County — 3,626 (48 new)
- Stone County — 1,563 (16 new)
Second COVID-19 vaccinations starting at Memorial
Memorial Hospital at Gulfport will begin offering second doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to people who received their first dose through through Memorial starting on Feb. 4 in South Mississippi.
Those who will be receiving the doses have already been contacted by Memorial.
To receive the second vaccination, patients must have scheduled an appointment via the COVID-19 hotline at 228-867-5000.
Patients need to bring a photo ID and the vaccination card from their first dose.
The appointments will take place on these dates and at these sites:
▪ 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4 - West Harrison Civic Center – Espy Center (4670 West Espy Avenue, Long Beach)
▪ 9 am.-3 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Feb. 4-5 - D’Iberville Community Center (10452 Lamey Bridge Road)
▪ 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 - Stone County Medical Center (1440 E. Central Avenue, Wiggins).
Wednesday, Jan. 27
New COVID-19 cases have climbed back above 2,000 in Mississippi, with the risk of contracting the virus “extremely high” in most of the state, including all six southern counties, new data shows.
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 2,074 cases and 65 deaths Wednesday, with two new deaths in Stone County and one each in Harrison and Jackson counties. South Mississippi recorded a total of seven more deaths because of three identified from Nov. 13-Jan. 20 through death certificates.
The New York Times has worked with public health experts at Johns Hopkins University and the Resolve to Save Lives initiative to develop a database that will be regularly updated and shows the risk of contracting COVD-19, by county, in the United States.
The ratings are primarily based on number of cases per capita over the last two weeks, with high test positivity rates also factored into risk warnings. A high test positivity rate indicates too little testing and an undercount of total cases, with a rate above 10% considered high.
Risk of infection in each county is ranked in five categories from low to extremely high. With the risk rated extremely high in South Mississippi, public health experts say residents should know that indoor activities outside the home, including eating in restaurants or going to places such as bars and gyms, should be avoided. Nonessential travel and events with more than a handful of people also are considered dangerous.
Cases are extremely high in all South Mississippi counties with the exception of George County, where they are very high, the data shows. The 14-day average for test positivity rates is highest in Jackson County, at 25%, with a 15% positivity rate in Harrison County, 11% in Pearl River, and 10% in Hancock, George and Stone counties.
Residents where the risk of infection is extremely high should be social distancing and wearing masks outside the home or around anyone from outside the household.
While the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations has picked up in Mississippi, only 165,668 people, or less than 5.6% of the population, had received a first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Only a little more than half a percent of the population, or 16,134 people, had been fully vaccinated, according to figures compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of around noon on Tuesday.
South Mississippi cases reported by the MSDH are below:
- George County: 2,110 (46 new)
- Hancock County: 3,042 (33 new)
- Harrison County: 14,654 (144 new)
- Jackson County: 11,146 (92 new)
- Pearl River County: 3,578 (51 new)
- Stone County: 1,547 (11 new)
Tuesday, Jan. 26
New COVID-19 cases continue to drop in Mississippi, but the state’s department of health announced one of its largest single-day death reports of the pandemic on Tuesday with 75.
Thirteen of those deaths were reported in the state’s southernmost six counties, including Harrison with eight. Jackson County had three while George and Hancock each had one.
The state reported 1,452 new deaths on Tuesday to bring the seven-day average to 1,639. The seven-day average in South Mississippi hasn’t dropped quite as much as the rest of the state with 381 new cases on Tuesday putting the average at 313.
Hospitalization numbers continue to show a steady decrease in Mississippi. The number of people hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 dropped below 1,000 (984) on Jan. 24 after that figure topped out at 1,444 on Jan. 4.
The number of patients in intensive care also hit a new low for January at 245 with 163 on ventilators.
There have been 5,852 deaths from the coronavirus in Mississippi with 1,886 taking place in long-term care facilities.
Most vaccinations for the general public are being done at MSDH drive-thru clinics. Appointments for COVID-19 vaccines can be scheduled online at covidvaccine.umc.edu or by calling 877-978-6453.
COVID-19 cases in South Mississippi:
- George County — 2,064 (16 new cases)
- Hancock County — 3,009 (46 new cases)
- Harrison County — 14,510 (212 new cases)
- Jackson County — 11,054 (78 new cases)
- Pearl River County — 3,527 (19 new cases)
- Stone County — 1,536 (7 new cases)
Monday, Jan. 25
As the number new COVID-19 cases start to dip in the aftermath of the Christmas holiday surge, vaccinations are continuing in South Mississippi.
As of Saturday, the Mississippi Department of Health reported 179,792 vaccinations had been administered statewide. Of those, 163,41 people received their first dose of the two-dose vaccines, and another 16,321 had their second dose.
On Monday, the health department reported 927 new cases of the coronavirus, the first time the state has seen only a three-digit increase in new daily cases since Dec. 26, when the state reported 845 new cases. New-case numbers are typically lowest on Mondays because of less reporting over the weekends.
The health department reported 5 additional deaths Monday, none of which occurred in the six southern counties of South Mississippi.
On Saturday, however, Pearl River County had one additional death, bringing the total number of deaths there to 106.
The state health department hopes to see more and more people get vaccinated to try to prevent further infections from the virus.
“If you had your first dose — please do not worry about availability of 2nd,” State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs tweeted over the weekend. “For drive thrus, for now, wait 1-2 weeks before making 2nd appointment.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that even with the vaccinations, people would still need to continue to take the necessary precautions, such as masking up and social distancing, to try to prevent them from catching the virus or spreading it to others.
South Mississippi has a total of has 35,319 cases, and with Monday’s numbers, the seven-day average for daily cases is 278.57.
South Mississippi totals by county Monday:
- George — 2,048 (1 new)
- Hancock — 2,963 (21 new)
- Harrison — 14,298 (19 new)
- Jackson — 10,976 (59 new)
- Pearl River — 3,508 (13 new)
- Stone — 1,529 (4 new)
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 10:36 AM.