Warren County reports 32nd COVID-19 death Friday; statewide new cases top 1,000 for the fourth day in a week

Warren County reported its 32nd death Friday — the seventh since Aug. 1 — while Mississippi’s new COVID-19 cases topped 1,000 again for the fourth time in the past week.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 26 new COVID-19 cases Friday in Warren County and one new death. The cumulative number of cases in the county to date is 1033, and the county’s death toll is 32.

Statewide, MSDH reported 1,036 new COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total cumulative confirmed cases in Mississippi to 65,436. The seven-day average of new cases is 956.

MSDH reported Friday that 23 Mississippians died of COVID-19 statewide, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 1,848. 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 Friday.

Deaths and new cases were reported as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6. 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. Wednesday, Aug. 5, is 1,179. The number includes 977 with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 207 people with suspected but unconfirmed cases. Of those with confirmed infections, 337 were critically ill and in intensive care units and 193 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 42,391 through Sunday, Aug. 2. This figure is updated weekly. It represents about 64.8% of the cumulative 65,436 cases reported as of Friday, Aug. 7.

The number of cases in Warren County three weeks ago, Friday, July 17, was 671, therefore the estimated number of people presumed recovered in the county is 639, or about 61.9% of the 1,033 cumulative cases reported Friday, Aug. 7. The county has an estimated 362 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 Thursday, Aug. 6, is 486,071 or about 16.3% of the state’s 2.976 million residents. The positivity rate (positive results to tests, seven-day average) is about 20.9%, 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 7.4%, 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 more than a week.

The total number of outbreaks in long-term care facilities is 174 Friday. About 43.8%, or 810, of the state’s total deaths were people in long-term care facilities. Ten of the 23 deaths reported Friday were 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 had one case among staff.
• Shady Lawn had seven cases among staff, 31 cases among residents and three resident deaths.
• The Bluffs had eight cases among staff and 24 among residents.
• Vicksburg Convalescent had 11 cases among staff and 11 among residents.

A total of 15 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.