New daily COVID case report breaks history in Mississippi, with all ICU beds full in state
The Mississippi State Department of Health released its largest single-day report of new COVID-19 cases of the entire coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday with 3,488 cases and 36 deaths.
Over a quarter of those cases were reported in the state’s southernmost six counties, with 928 new cases in the region. Jackson and Harrison counties each reported four new deaths on Tuesday.
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and other state officials have been sounding the alarm on rising cases in recent weeks, and he expressed his frustration in a Tuesday morning tweet.
“Based on historical trends — this will translate into around 73 deaths in coming days, almost all preventable,” Dobbs said. “I have reverted to listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers in (the morning) — a long standing indication of irrepressible frustration for me.”
The delta variant has become the dominant strain of COVID in Mississippi, and it is considered almost entirely to blame for the state’s recent surge in new cases and deaths.
LouAnn Woodward, Vice chancellor for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said that as of Monday morning there were no available ICU beds in the state.
The number of hospitalized patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 is quickly moving to an all-time high with 1,349 as of Aug. 8. The state’s high mark for confirmed COVID hospitalizations is 1,444 from Jan. 4.
In ages 18-64, Mississippi ranks second to last in the nation with only 36.5 percent of that group vaccinated. Only Alabama is worse at 36.1.
This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 10:07 AM.
