MS reports nearly 7,000 new COVID cases, dozens of deaths. ‘The worst is yet to come.’
It was a weekend of sickness and death in Mississippi, as 6,912 residents tested positive for COVID-19 and 28 more people were reported to have died from the coronavirus.
That three-day total is up from 4,991 a week ago on Monday, Aug. 2 ,and 332 two months ago on June 7.
Across South Mississippi, 1,853 people tested positive over the weekend, and six more deaths were reported.
Thirteen deaths occurred between July 29 and August 6, and 15 deaths were identified from death certificate reports between Jan. 29 and Aug. 2, the Health Department said.
“We are rapidly depleting valuable hospital resources. The worst is yet to come,” Dr. Thomas Dobbs, state health officer, said on Twitter.
“Please — get vaccinated,” he said.
He also posted a graphic that shows 97% of those who test positive in the state have not been vaccinated, 89% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated and 85% of the deaths are unvaccinated.
“Vast majority of cases in unvaccinated — with spill over effects to some vaccinated individuals (primarily older or with weak immune systems),” he said.
Those who get COVID should ask their doctor about monoclonal antibody treatment, he said, which can help COVID patients avoid severe side effects, hospitalizations and death.
The number of new cases in South Mississippi over the weekend by county are:
- George — 90
- Hancock — 102
- Harrison — 889
- Jackson — 509
- Pearl River — 191
- Stone — 72
Memorial Hospital announced the drive-thru testing from its Long Beach Walk-In Clinic at 5120 Beatline Road is being combined with its Physician Clinic at 1213 Broad Avenue in Gulfport.
The new drive-thru testing site is at the Memorial M.A.S.S. building at 1520 Broad Ave., Gulfport. Hours are 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula is no longer reporting new cases or total cases, but is providing vaccinations on site. The next events are Aug. 10 for employees only, and Aug. 12 and Aug. 19 for employees and their dependents age 12 and older.
The company conducted two random drawings July 23 for $2,500 each for employees who were vaccinated any time before July 12. Additional drawings will be held for newly vaccinated employees who become fully vaccinated between July 13 and Aug. 20.
COVID-19 by the numbers
Here are some of the latest statistics from the Mississippi Health Department’s latest report:
▪ Through Aug. 2, tere are 320,771 presumed recoveries in Mississippi and 7,556 deaths. On Aug. 2, about 20,000 people in Mississippi had the coronavirus.
▪ The two-week period from July 13-26, Stone County had 248 new cases, or 1,354 per 100,000, the highest of any county in the state.
▪ Vaccination rates closely follow the population breakdown in the state. 57% of those vaccinated in Mississippi are white, 38% are Black and 2% are Asian. Mississippi’s population is 58% white, 38% Black and 1% Asian.
▪ 55% of those who died from the coronavirus in Mississippi were white. 41% were Black and 1.5% Asian.
▪ Through Aug. 2, Mississippi has seen 27,974 cases of COVID-19 in children age 11-17.
▪ Ages 25-39 had the most total cases, with 79,341. Second highest was ages 50-64, with 70,591 cases.
▪ 7.8% of those with COVID-19 in the state were hospitalized; 92.2% were not hospitalized.
▪ 56% of those who got COVID-19 were women; 44% were men.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 9:12 AM.
