Mississippi reports ninth consecutive day of fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases

Across the state, new COVID-19 cases stayed under 1,000 for the ninth consecutive day Saturday. Hospitalizations are also showing a marked decrease from their peak around the beginning of August.

In Warren County, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 10 new COVID-19 cases Saturday and no new deaths. The cumulative number of cases in the county to date is 1,303, and the county’s death toll is 46.

Statewide, MSDH reported 735 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the total cumulative confirmed cases in Mississippi to 82,029. With the last seven days reporting fewer than 1,000 cases each, the seven-day average of new cases has dropped below 700 again to 680.

MSDH reported Friday that an additional 14 Mississippians died of COVID-19 statewide, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 2,427. The state’s rate of deaths to confirmed cases is about 3%.

Deaths can lag new cases by two weeks or more, which may be one reason deaths in the state had not risen dramatically until July 7 when 44 deaths were reported. The highest number of deaths in any one day was 67 reported Aug. 25. In addition, most new cases are seen in younger people recently, and they are more likely to survive the virus than those 65 and older. By far, the age group reporting the most cases in Mississippi are young people from 18 to 29 years old.

MSDH reported deaths in the following counties Saturday:

Deaths and new cases were reported as of 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27. MSDH usually reports new statistics on the COVID-19 coronavirus each day based on the previous day’s testing and death reports.

The primary metric concerning state health officials are the numbers of people hospitalized, and that number rose steadily with the rise of new cases. On June 6, the number of Mississippians hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 was at 358. Hospitalizations nearly tripled by late July. They have leveled off in the past couple of weeks and are now dropping including critical cases and numbers of people requiring ventilators.

The number of Mississippians hospitalized for the virus as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, is 825, showing a clear downward trend after peaking in late July at more than 1,200. The number includes 668 with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 157 people with suspected but unconfirmed cases. Of those with confirmed infections, 203 were critically ill and in intensive care units and 108 were on ventilators.

Source: MSDH

MSDH has estimated the number of people who can be presumed recovered from COVID-19 in Mississippi. That number is 62,707 through Sunday, Aug. 23. This figure is updated weekly. It represents about 76.4% of the cumulative 82,029 cases reported as of Saturday, Aug. 29.

The number of cases in Warren County three weeks ago, Saturday, Aug. 8, was 1,089, therefore the estimated number of people presumed recovered in the county is 1,043, or about 80% of the 1,303 cumulative cases reported Saturday, Aug. 29. The county has an estimated 214 active cases.

These estimates are based on MSDH’s guidelines for calculating estimated recoveries when hospitalizations are not known, using the number of cases 21 days ago, less known outcomes (deaths).

The total number of Mississippians tested for COVID-19 (PCR and antigen tests identifying current infections) as of Thursday, Aug. 27, is 588,143 or about 19.7% of the state’s 2.976 million residents. The positivity rate (positive results to tests, seven-day average) was 15% Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University, indicating Mississippi is not testing nearly enough, and results are probably an undercount of actual infections. The national rate is currently 5.9%, and a rate of 5% or less indicates adequate testing. Mississippi’s positivity rate has been the highest or among the highest in the nation for weeks.

The total number of outbreaks in long-term care facilities is 157 Saturday. About 41%, or 993, of the state’s total deaths were people in LTC facilities. Four of the 14 deaths reported Saturday were long-term care facility residents.

In Warren County as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, MSDH reported that two long-term facilities were under investigation for active COVID-19 outbreaks:

• Shady Lawn had seven cases among staff, 33 cases among residents and nine resident deaths.
• The Bluffs had 22 cases among staff, 44 cases among residents and five resident deaths.

A total of 22 deaths in the county were residents of LTC facilities.

For additional information, visit the MSDH website.