Warren County reports 18 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, 1,134 reported statewide

Mississippi begins August reporting another 1,000-plus cases Saturday for the fifth consecutive day.

In Warren County, the Mississippi State Department of Health reports 18 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths Saturday. The cumulative number of cases in the county to date is 964, and the county’s death toll is 25. The county has added 278 new cases in the past 14 days.

Statewide, MSDH reports 1,134 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the total cumulative confirmed cases in Mississippi to 59,881. With new case counts over 1,100 for six of the last seven days, and 8,784 new cases reported in that week, the seven-day average for new cases is 1,255.

MSDH reports Saturday that 30 Mississippians died of COVID-19 statewide, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 1,693. The state’s rate of deaths to confirmed cases is about 2.8%, a rate that has held steady for several days.

The numbers of 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. 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.

Six confirmed COVID-19 related deaths occurred between July 5 and July 26, identified from death certificate reports. The additional deaths were reported in the following counties:

Deaths and new cases were reported as of 6 p.m. Friday, July 31. 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 has been steadily rising with new cases. On June 6, the number of Mississippians hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 was at a low of 358. Since then, hospitalizations have nearly tripled. Two weeks ago, health officials began warning repeatedly that some hospitals were running out of ICU beds. That warning has become more urgent as the numbers of cases continue to rise.

The number of Mississippians hospitalized for the virus as of 6 p.m. Friday, July 31, is 1,172. The number includes 968 with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 204 people with suspected but unconfirmed cases. Of those with confirmed infections, 302 were critically ill and in intensive care units and 172 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 35,071 through Sunday, July 26. This figure is updated weekly. It represents about 58.6% of the cumulative 59,881 cases reported as of Saturday, Aug. 1.

The number of cases in Warren County three weeks ago, Saturday, July 11, was 594, therefore the estimated number of people presumed recovered in the county is 569, or about 59% of the 964 cumulative cases reported Saturday, Aug. 1. The county has an estimated 370 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 tests) as of Wednesday, July 27, is 460,594 or about 15.5% of the state’s 2.976 million residents. The positivity rate (current positive results to current tests) is about 21.1%, according to Johns Hopkins University, indicating Mississippi is not testing nearly enough, and results are probably an undercount of actual infections. A rate of 5% or less indicates adequate testing. Mississippi’s positivity rate is among the highest in the nation.

The total number of outbreaks in long-term care facilities is 202, a number that has been rising recently after having gone done for a while. About 44.8%, or 759, of the state’s total deaths were people in long-term care facilities.

In Warren County as of 6 p.m. Thursday, July 30, MSDH reported that four long-term facilities were under investigation for active COVID-19 outbreaks:

• Belmont Gardens has one case among staff.
• Shady Lawn has seven cases among staff, 31 cases among residents and three resident deaths.
• The Bluffs has eight cases among staff and 24 among residents.
• Vicksburg Convalescent has 11 cases among staff and 11 among residents.

A total of 11 deaths in the county were residents of LTC facilities, including nine residents of Heritage House Nursing Center, which is no longer under investigation.

For additional information, visit the MSDH website.