‘These are people who didn’t have to die.’ Record-breaking COVID deaths reported in MS
Mississippi reported its highest-ever number of COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, 79, shattering the previous record of 67 on Aug. 25.
Ten deaths were recorded in South Mississippi, bringing the total number of coronavirus deaths in the lower six counties in December to 89, making December the deadliest month of the pandemic for the region with nine days still to go. In August, 85 COVID-19 deaths were reported in South Mississippi.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs opened his remarks by reading the details of a few people whose deaths were included in today’s record-breaking figure.
“These are people, but for COVID, would be with us for next Christmas, by and large,” he said. “These are people who didn’t have to die. If we did a little better, if we collectively were a little better at making sure we didn’t spread COVID, these people would be alive.”
“Eighty-four year old white male,” he read. “Sixty-seven year-old Black female. Fifty-one year-old white male... 38-year-old Black female.”
Four deaths each were reported in Jackson and Harrison Counties, with one each counted in George and Hancock counties.
The total number of COVID-19 deaths in South Mississippi is now 470.
South Mississippi reported 326 new cases Tuesday.
Cases are continuing to surge, and the state’s health systems are already overwhelmed, Dobbs said.
Holidays could bring more COVID cases
Christmas threatens to accelerate the rise in coronavirus cases, he said.
“Holidays are weak points for us,” he said. “We let our guard down and we allow transmission to occur that doesn’t have to occur.”
Dobbs urged people to celebrate with their immediate families. People over 65 with medical conditions should avoid in-person church services, he said.
The state has already hit new records for average daily ICU and ventilator utilization, he said.
“It’s bad and it’s gonna get worse,” Dobbs said.
The rollout of the Moderna vaccine offers a glimmer of hope, but charts he presented at the press conference showed that for the next several weeks at least, distribution will be limited to healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents and staff.
So far, 12,600 doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been released to five major hospital systems in the state. About 50,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have begun shipping this week.
Pushing back on viral claims that COVID’s severity is exaggerated, Dobbs said the state has recorded about 6,000 additional deaths than in 2019.
“People are dying from COVID,” he said. “COVID is killing Mississippians.”
COVID by the numbers
Here are the case figures for South Mississippi counties:
George: 1,620 (188 new)
Hancock: 1,726 (18 new)
Harrison: 9,713 (139 new)
Jackson: 8,126 (128 new)
Pearl River: 1,065 (9 new)
