With more self-testing, COVID data in Mississippi and US isn’t as accurate, experts say
The Mississippi Health Department released an update new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, following Monday’s holiday, but the report won’t be 100% representative of who has COVID-19.
The data on new coronavirus cases, which the Sun Herald has reported for nearly two years, is considered by experts to be incomplete, now that many people self-test for COVID-19. Cases diagnosed from self-tests aren’t included in the state’s COVID-19 dashboard of data.
The data also doesn’t reflect those with mild or no symptoms from the omicron variant who don’t get themselves or their children tested, a factor that has persisted throughout the pandemic.
“Daily case counts and their ups and downs have been one of the most closely watched barometers during the outbreak and have been a reliable early warning sign of severe disease and death in previous coronavirus waves,” according to Jan. 4 Associated Press story.
“Now, the value of the daily case count is being called into question as never before,” the report said.
Experts say a better way to track the conditions of COVID-19 — and particularly the number of people who have the highly contagious omicron — is to look at hospitalizations.
Omicron now makes up virtually 100% of the cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, the health department reports. For most people, the symptoms aren’t as severe as those from the delta variant, whose contagious nature caused a nationwide spike in cases and hospitalizations in late summer.
But people still are being hospitalized, and the nursing shortage continues. Here’s a look at the COVID-19 data, as of Jan. 13.
By-the-numbers hospitalizations
▪ 1,365 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Jan. 13, according to the most recent data. Mississippi is 300 cases shy of the peak hospitalizations of 1,667, on Aug. 19, 2021.
▪ 259 people are in intensive care at Mississippi hospitals. The peak was 486 on Aug. 17, 2021.
▪ 114 people in the state are on ventilators. The number peaked at 354 on Sept. 3, 2021.
By-the-numbers cases and deaths
The first case of omicron in the U.S. was identified on Nov. 29 with the first reported in Mississippi on Dec. 6.
The data reported weekly by the Mississippi Health Department show trends. Since Dec. 6, cases have trended upward.
According to the latest data released Jan. 13:
▪ 48,081 new cases were reported in Mississippi over the past week.
▪ 98 deaths were reported, some from the review of prior death certificates.
▪ 634,628 is the total case count in Mississippi.
▪ 10,625 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in Mississippi. That is more than the population of Diamondhead, a city in Hancock County with 8,103 people.
South Mississippi by the numbers
Omicron quickly spread across South Mississippi over the holidays as people gathered with family and friends.
Here is a look at cases for the six counties on the South Mississippi Coast:
▪ 7,492 new cases were reported last week.
▪ 102,220 total cases are reported over the past 673 days since the first case of the coronavirus in South Mississippi was reported in Pearl River County on March 13, 2020.
▪ 1,506 total deaths are attributed to COVID-19 in South Mississippi since the pandemic began.
This story was originally published January 17, 2022 at 3:01 PM.
