2 cities in Jackson County are COVID-19 hot spots, Singing River data shows
In Jackson County, the COVID-19 surge is hitting Moss Point and Ocean Springs especially hard, Singing River data suggests.
The hospital system shared a chart showing the number of people from each city who have gotten a positive result from a COVID-19 test processed in a Singing River lab.
As of yesterday, Moss Point and Ocean Springs sat at the top. Moss Point had 634 positive tests since July 7 and Ocean Springs had 596. Moss Point has about 12,000 residents and Ocean Springs about 18,000.
Pascagoula, with a population of about 22,000, followed with 391.
For most of July and early August, Ocean Springs had more total positive test results than Moss Point. Moss Point moved ahead on Aug. 8.
On a virtual meeting with State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and Coast business leaders on Thursday, Singing River CEO Lee Bond referred to the high rate of COVID-19 cases in Ocean Springs.
“Ocean Springs is the hottest spot right now,” he said.
The Sun Herald reached out to Mayor Kenny Holloway for comment but has not yet heard back.
Harrison County cities Biloxi, Gulfport and D’Iberville were also listed. But because most Singing River facilities are located in Jackson County, the lower numbers for those cities may in part reflect fewer Harrison County residents getting tested for COVID-19 at Singing River facilities.
Moss Point Mayor Billy Knight said in an interview that he had been urging unvaccinated residents to get tested for COVID-19.
“Those that are refusing to get the shot, at least if they take the test, they’ll know whether they have it or not,” he said. “Based on the information they get here, hopefully they’ll conduct themselves accordingly.”
On Tuesday, he posted a video message to the city’s Facebook page. He had been particularly troubled by news that the delta variant is much more dangerous for children. Children under 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine.
“Let’s go back to the basics,” he said. “Let’s wash our hands, let’s wear our masks, let’s social distance.... I’m depending on you, Moss Point, to do the right thing. Let’s take care of our children.”
High positivity rate in Jackson County
As of Wednesday, Singing River was reporting 130 hospitalizations due to COVID-19, with 33 people in the ICU and 26 on ventilators. The average patient age was 58. Seven people in the hospital had been vaccinated, and their average age was 77.
The health department’s “county snapshots” have not been updated since July 31. But at that point, about 40% of tests in Jackson County came back positive. In Harrison County, that figure was about 21%.
Epidemiologists use that figure to assess the level of community spread. Anything over 5% is considered high enough to require mitigation measures like social distancing and masking. A high rate also indicates other cases in the community are likely going untested.
In Jackson County, 29% of residents were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday morning, according to the latest health department data. Thirty-six percent of residents had gotten at least one dose. That’s slightly behind Harrison County, where 31% of residents are fully vaccinated, and below the state average of 33%.
Knight said he urges people to take the vaccine to protect the community.
“When you make a decision not to get a shot, you make a decision about other people,” he said. “And you also make a decision to get COVID.... And it affects everybody else.”
