Sixth COVID-19 death in Warren County and six new cases Friday; 402 new cases statewide and 16 additional deaths

The Mississippi State Department of Health reports another COVID-19 death in Warren County Friday and six new cases. The cumulative number of cases in the county is now 144, and the county’s death toll from the virus stands at six, including four residents of long-term care facilities. The county has 34 cases in one long-term care facility under investigation.

Statewide, MSDH reports 402 new COVID-19 cases Friday, the second-largest single-day case increase to date, bringing the total cumulative confirmed cases in Mississippi to 12,624. The largest increase was May 8 with 404 new cases.

MSDH also reports 16 additional Mississippians died of COVID- 19, bringing the number of deaths in the state to 596.

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

Three additional confirmed COVID-19 related deaths between May 5 and May 12 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. Thursday, May 21. 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.

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 1,627 Friday, an increase of 37 cases since Thursday. Deaths among residents total 300, an increase of 11. About 12.9% of the state’s cases and 50.3% of the state’s deaths from the virus are people from long-term care facilities. The number of active outbreaks under investigation is 102, an increase of four overnight.

Lauderdale County in East Central Mississippi has the highest number of cases and deaths in long-term care facilities in the state, with 162 cases and 32 deaths. It also has among the highest total COVID-19 cases and deaths reported in the state with 647 cases and 51 deaths as of Friday.

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. These 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, still the state’s virus epicenter, is reporting 855 cases Friday, an increase of 30 since Thursday, and 24 deaths. Thirteen of the deaths in Hinds were residents in long-term care facilities, and 77 cases in long-term care facilities are under investigation in Hinds County.

In other neighboring counties, Yazoo County reports 198 cases Thursday, an increase of four since Thursday, and two deaths, unchanged. Yazoo is reporting eight cases under investigation in long-term care facilities, an increase of one. Claiborne County reports 58 cases, an increase of seven, 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, 39 Mississippi counties report more than 100 cases each, and 21 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.

Nine counties report no deaths from the virus. Most other Mississippi counties report deaths in the single digits. The following 23 counties report 10 or more deaths: Adams (15, unchanged since Thursday), Attala (12, up one), Bolivar (10, unchanged), Chickasaw (12, unchanged), Clarke (16, unchanged), Forrest (32, unchanged), Hancock (10, unchanged), Hinds (24, unchanged), Holmes (22, up one), Jackson (13, unchanged), Jones (12), Kemper (10), Lauderdale (51, up four), Leflore (25, up one), Lincoln (19, unchanged), Madison (20, up one), Monroe (24, up one), Neshoba (27, up four), Pearl River (27, unchanged), Pike (11, unchanged), Scott (10), Smith (10) and Tippah (11, unchanged).

To-date COVID-19 cases and deaths since March 11, including those in long-term care (LTC) facilities: