Warren County new COVID-19 cases spike to 117, statewide cases at 9,501 with 430 deaths

Listen to this article

The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting a big jump in new COVID-19 cases in Warren County Sunday. With 19 new cases reported today, the total number of cases now stands at 117. The county’s death toll is unchanged and stands at two. Twelve cases in one long-term care facility are under investigation in the county, an increase of one case since Saturday.

Statewide, MSDH reports 123 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the total of confirmed cases in Mississippi to 9,501.

MSDH also reports nine additional Mississippians died of COVID-19, bringing the number of deaths in the state to 430.

Deaths and new cases were reported as of 6 p.m. Saturday, May 9. MSDH reports new statistics on the COVID-19 coronavirus each morning based on the previous day’s testing and death reports.

The number of estimated COVID-19 cases presumed recovered in Mississippi is 4,421 as of Sunday, May 3. This figure will be updated weekly.

Most of the new cases and deaths reported statewide Sunday are reflected in the cases and deaths in long-term care facilities. The number of individual COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities total 1,202, an increase of 111 since yesterday, and deaths among residents total 191, an increase of six. About 12.7% of the state’s cases and 44.4% of the state’s deaths are people from long-term care facilities. The number of active outbreaks under investigation is 110, down three since yesterday.

Lauderdale County in East Central Mississippi has the highest number of cases and deaths in long-term care facilities in the state, with 120 cases and 26 deaths. It also has among the highest total COVID-19 cases and deaths reported in the state with 482 cases and the 43 deaths.

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.

Neighboring Hinds County, still the state’s virus epicenter, is reporting 670 cases as of Sunday, an increase of seven since Saturday, and 15 deaths, unchanged. Nine of the deaths in Hinds were residents in long-term care facilities, and 53 cases in long-term care facilities are under investigation in Hinds County.

In other neighboring counties, Yazoo County reports 164 cases, and increase of two, and two deaths, unchanged since Saturday. Yazoo is reporting one case under investigation in a long-term care facility. Claiborne County reports 41 cases, and Sharkey County reports five cases, both unchanged since yesterday. Neither Claiborne or Sharkey counties have reported outbreaks in long-term care facilities, and neither has any reported deaths from the virus. Issaquena County remains the only county in the state without any reported cases.

In all, 29 Mississippi counties are now reporting more than 100 cases each, and 12 counties report 200 or more. Hinds, Lauderdale, Scott and Madison counties each report more than 400 cases.

Deaths reported in most Mississippi counties are in the single digits, and 15 counties report no deaths from the virus. The following 16 counties report 10 or more deaths: Adams (12, up one since yesterday), Chickasaw (10, unchanged), Forrest (21, unchanged), Hancock (10, unchanged), Hinds (15, unchanged), Holmes (19, up one), Jackson (11, unchanged), Lauderdale (43, up one), Leflore (18, unchanged), Lincoln (14, up one), Madison (12, unchanged), Monroe (21, up one), Neshoba (14, up one), Pearl River (24, unchanged), Pike (10, unchanged) and Tippah (11, unchanged) counties. No counties were added to that list Sunday.

Cases and deaths from the virus are heavily skewed toward African Americans, and MSDH is reporting racial breakdowns of each county’s statistics, available on its website. As of Sunday, 57% of cases (4,475) and 55% of COVID-19 deaths (203) in Mississippi were among African Americans.

COVID-19 cases are also skewed toward women, with 58.6% of cases among women.

Almost all the COVID-19 deaths in Mississippi occurred among people with underlying health conditions, including obesity, lung disease and diabetes. The health of African Americans is contributing to their higher rate of infection and death from COVID-19.

All age groups have been affected by the disease, including children under 18, with 402 cases, up 68 since Saturday. As of Sunday, MSDH reports 29 cases in infants less than 1 year old, down one since Saturday. No death among juveniles have been reported in Mississippi.

Deaths and hospitalizations from the virus occur most frequently among those 60 and older. As of Saturday evening, 965 of Mississippi’s cumulative 1,531 hospitalizations, or 63%, were among people over 60, and 88.1% of the state’s deaths (379) have been people over 60.

Current hospitalizations among people with confirmed COVID-19 infections increased by nine people Saturday to 447 patients. Another 198 hospitalized people are suspected of being infected but have not been confirmed for the virus. The overall trend for patients in intensive care units and on ventilators seems to be holding fairly steady.

Mississippi’s rate of hospitalizations for those diagnosed with COVID-19 is below the national average. From a high of more than 30%, the rate stands at 18.1% as of Sunday. The national average for hospitalizations has seen a steady rise and stands at 50.3 per 100,000 for the week ending May 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; however, the rate skyrockets to 162.2 per 100,000 for those 65 and older.

The number of tests performed in Mississippi as of May 9 is 91,999, with 75,525 tests, or about 82%, performed by private labs. About 10.3% of the tests had a positive result based on the total number of confirmed cases in the state. As more asymptomatic people are tested, the actual rate of infection will become clear. As of May 9, Mississippi has tested about 3.1% of the state’s population.

Anyone with symptoms of fever, severe cough or severe chest pains – especially those who are older or in poor health – should arrange for testing with their doctor or one of the many health care providers now performing testing, although not having a fever may not eliminate you from being tested. Health care providers can assess your health history and symptoms and perform testing for COVID-19 as needed. MSDH is also helping conduct free drive-up testing sites in many parts of the state. Always call ahead to the testing provider for instructions on safely being examined before you visit for your test.

Find a COVID-19 testing provider near you

For more information, visit the MSDH website or call the hotline at 877-978-6453, available seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Mississippi COVID-19 total cases and deaths, and long-term care facility cases and deaths, to date: