COVID-19 cases in Mississippi top 13,000 with 616 deaths; Warren County reports four new cases

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The Mississippi State Department of Health reports four new COVID-19 cases in Warren County Saturday. The cumulative number of cases in the county is now 148, and the county’s death toll from the virus stands at six, including four residents of long-term care facilities. The county has 35 cases in one long-term care facility under investigation.

Statewide, MSDH reports another big jump in new COVID-19 cases Saturday with 381 cases, bringing the total cumulative confirmed cases in Mississippi to 13,005.

MSDH also reports 20 additional Mississippians died of COVID- 19, bringing the number of deaths in the state to 616. Eight of the deaths were identified through death certificate reports.

COVID-19 related deaths were reported in the following counties Saturday:

Eight confirmed COVID-19 related deaths between May 7 and May 16 were identified through death certificate reports. The additional deaths are reported in the following counties:

Deaths and new cases were reported as of 6 p.m. Friday, May 22. MSDH reports new statistics on the COVID-19 coronavirus each morning based on the previous day’s testing and death reports.

MSDH is also reporting the number of estimated COVID-19 cases presumed recovered in Mississippi. That number is 7,681 through Sunday, May 17. This figure will be updated weekly.

As of Saturday, 433 Mississippians are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and another 157 patients are hospitalized with suspected infections. Of those hospitalized, 154 are critically ill and in intensive care units and 93 are on ventilators.

Long-term care facilities

Many of the new cases and deaths in Mississippi are reflected in cases and deaths in the state’s long-term care facilities. The number of individual COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities total 1,646 Saturday, an increase of 19 cases since Friday. Deaths among residents total 309, an increase of nine. About 12.7% of the state’s cases and 50.2% of the state’s deaths from the virus are people from long-term care facilities. The number of active outbreaks under investigation is 108, an increase of six overnight.

Lauderdale County in East Central Mississippi has the highest number of cases and deaths in long-term care facilities in the state, with 163 cases and 34 deaths. It also has among the highest total COVID-19 cases and deaths reported in the state with 670 cases and 54 deaths as of Saturday.

Mississippi is paying special attention to any outbreaks in these facilities. Even one case is a long-term care facility is considered an outbreak because of the ages and poor health of many residents. Long-term care facilities include nursing homes, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, personal care homes, assisted living facilities, long-term acute care facilities, and psychiatric or chemical dependency residential treatment centers.

COVID-19 in Mississippi counties

Neighboring Hinds County, the state’s virus epicenter, is reporting 877 cases Saturday, an increase of 22 since Friday, and 24 deaths. Thirteen of the deaths in Hinds were residents in long-term care facilities, and 78 cases in long-term care facilities are under investigation.

In other neighboring counties, Yazoo County reports 204 cases Saturday, an increase of six since Friday, and two deaths, unchanged. Yazoo is reporting eight cases under investigation in long-term care facilities, an increase of one. Claiborne County reports 57 cases, one death and two cases in a long-term care facility under investigation. Sharkey County reports seven cases, no deaths and no outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Issaquena County remains the only county in the state without any reported cases.

In all, 40 Mississippi counties now report more than 100 cases each, and 22 counties report 200 or more. Hinds, Lauderdale, Madison, Scott, Neshoba, Forrest, Desoto and Jones counties report more than 400 cases. Only Greene, Sharkey and Issaquena counties report 10 or fewer cases.

Ten counties report no deaths from the virus. Most other Mississippi counties report deaths in the single digits. The following 24 counties report 10 or more deaths: Adams (15, unchanged since Friday), Attala (12, unchanged), Bolivar (10, unchanged), Chickasaw (12, unchanged), Clarke (16, unchanged), Forrest (33, up one), Hancock (11, up one), Hinds (24, unchanged), Holmes (23, up one), Jackson (13, unchanged), Jones (13, up one), Kemper (10, unchanged), Lauderdale (54, up three), Leflore (25, unchanged), Lincoln (20, up one), Madison (21, up one), Monroe (24, unchanged), Neshoba (30, up three), Oktibbeha (10), Pearl River (27, unchanged), Pike (11, unchanged), Scott (10, unchanged), Smith (10, unchanged) and Tippah (11, unchanged). Oktibbeha County was added to this list Saturday.

Additional information about COVID-19 in Mississippi can be found on the MSDH website.

Cumulative COVID-19 cases and deaths in Mississippi since March 11, including those in long-term care facilities: