Mississippi cases of COVID-19 rise to 377; Second death reported by MSDH

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - The number of coronavirus cases in Mississippi increased by 57 Wednesday, bringing the new state total to 377. Included in those numbers is the state’s second death from the virus. A third death confirmed by officials in Louisiana has not yet been added to Mississippi’s report.

In South Mississippi, that brings the total number of cases to 56, meaning that only three new cases of the virus are being reported by state health officials since Tuesday.

Those numbers break down for each county as follows:

George County - 1
Hancock County - 5
Harrison County - 25
Jackson County - 12
Pearl River County - 13

Click HERE to see a list of other counties reporting cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi.

As of March 23, the state reports that 27% of the reported cases have required hospitalization.

MSDH released a statement Wednesday morning saying that a man from Holmes County died as a result of COVID-19. The man was between the ages of 60-65 and had underlying health conditions, said MSDH.

The only other reported death reported by MSDH in the state as a result from the virus was last week in Hancock County.

However, state officials in Louisiana have confirmed that a 90-year-old man from Woodville, Miss., died March 21 at a Baton Rouge hospital from COVID-19. That would bring Mississippi’s state total to three deaths. MSDH has not yet included the third victim in their numbers.

“We knew that more deaths would be inevitable, just as we expect numerous new cases. It is a very sad update to report, regardless,” said MSDH State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs, MD, MPH. “Please do your part by practicing all preventive measures. It is vitally important that we all do what we can right now to help slow the spread of this virus.”

One of the doctors on the frontlines of Covid-19 testing in Ocean Springs is Singing River Health System's Dr. Bobby Swinney.

Drive-through clinics for testing are popping up across the state. However, health officials are asking that you call ahead to make sure you meet the qualifications for testing. To complete a pre-screening, please call one of the below hotlines:

Memorial Hospital Coronavirus Hotline: 228-867-5000
Singing River Health System Coronavirus Hotline: 228-809-5044
MS Dept. of Health Coronavirus Hotline: 877-978-6453.

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