COVID cases spike across Gulf Coast as Ida closes some testing facilities
Mississippi had another deadly, sick weekend, with 7,971 new COVID-19 cases and 82 new deaths recorded as Hurricane Ida struck most of the state, wiping out most testing facilities for one day.
The Mississippi Department of Health on Monday morning reported the hike in new COVID cases and deaths since Thursday — across South Mississippi, 1,437 people tested positive and 17 more deaths occurred.
The upticks come as Hurricane Ida also ravaged the Coast this weekend. The hurricane slowed some Coastal health systems and closed a number of COVID testing and vaccination locations.
Both of Memorial Hospital’s major testing locations, Gulfport and D’Iberville, were closed on Sunday, and Singing River’s testing and vaccination facilities also were closed on the last day of the weekend.
Mississippi, a state of just over 2.9 million people, is reaching COVID numbers comparable to cities or states four times its population during the pandemic’s peak in January.
In South Mississippi, Harrison County reported 594 cases over the weekend, Jackson County reported 362 and Hancock County’s new cases totaled 173.
Stone County reported 41 new COVID cases, with 173 new cases in Pearl River County and 94 in George County.
One new death occurred in Hancock County, with nine deaths in Harrison County, four in Jackson County, one in Pearl River and two in Stone. George County had no deaths over the weekend.
But as the numbers spike, some COVID testing and vaccination sites have been halted because of the continued severe weather.
All Mississippi State Department of Health COVID vaccinations and testing sites are closed on Monday, including MSDH offices, county health departments and WIC centers.
“All Mississippi State Department of Health COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites in Central and South Mississippi will be canceled Monday and Tuesday, August 30-31, ahead of Hurricane Ida,” the health department tweeted on Saturday.
All Memorial COVID-19 testing locations are closed on Monday and will reopen Tuesday. Both Gulfport and D’Iberville COVID-19 testing locations and the COVID-19 hotline will be closed.
Singing River testing and vaccination facilities open at noon on Monday.
