322 cases, 17 new COVID-19 deaths reported Saturday in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - 322 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Saturday with 17 new deaths. In the six southernmost counties, there were only three new cases and no new deaths.

In addition, one case was removed from the total in George County. The Health Department is constantly revising case numbers based on data received on where the patients live.

Hancock County, Harrison County, and Jackson County were the counties in South Mississippi to each see a new COVID case Saturday.

In all, Mississippi has reported a total of 11,123 confirmed COVID-19 infections and 510 deaths as a result of the virus.

[ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: View a list of results for all Mississippi counties here]

Recoveries

State health officials estimate 6,268 Mississippians have now recovered from COVID-19. That total does not include cases still under investigation. MSDH will update the number weekly.

In order to determine the presumed number of people who have recovered from the virus, state health officials say the patient must meet one of two criteria. For patients who were NOT hospitalized, they are considered recovered if they have not tested positive for the virus after 14 days. For patients who were hospitalized or if hospitalization was unknown, they are presumed recovered if it has been 21 days or more since they tested positive.

Hospitalizations

The majority of people who get COVID-19 will not require hospitalization, say health officials. As of May 15, 17.1% of people diagnosed with the virus had to be hospitalized. The number of people hospitalized with confirmed infections of the virus now stands at 428. Of those, 81 patients are on ventilators and 170 are in ICU.

Weekly High Case and High Incidence Counties

The state is now ranking counties by weekly cases, and by incidence (cases proportional to population). All tables are updated weekly.

Underlying Conditions, Race, and Age

The majority of positive cases are being seen in the African-American population. According to MSDH, 58.4% of residents who have COVID-19 in Mississippi are black, while 32.6% of the patients are white. A total of 52.8% of those who died from COVID-19 are African-American.

Underlying conditions are also reported in many of the deaths that have resulted from coronavirus complications. Most deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in patients with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

The most positive cases of COVID-19 have occurred in people between the ages of 40 and 59. However, children and those older than 60 are also at risk. The highest number of deaths from the virus is being seen in patients age 60 and older.

Long-term Care Facilities

A total of 1,416 patients diagnosed with the virus are currently in long-term care facilities throughout the state. In all, 243 people diagnosed while in long-term care facilities have died.

MSDH says: “Long-term care (LTC) facilities like nursing homes are considered high risk locations because their residents are older or in poor health. Even one case of COVID-19 in these facilities among residents or employees is considered an outbreak. We investigate residents, staff and close contacts of infected individuals for possible exposure.”

Testing

As of May 15, a total of 108,476 tests have been done statewide, which includes the number of tests by MSDH and the number of tests given by other providers. Of the 17,792 tests conducted by MSDH, 2,109 have shown positive results.

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.

Anyone experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, who feels they should be tested must first go through a free screening from a UMMC clinician through the C Spire Health UMMC Virtual COVID-19 Triage telehealth smartphone app.

[ LIST: COVID-19 testing sites now open across Mississippi ]

You can also complete a pre-screening by calling one of the following 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.

Here is a county-by-county map showing how many positive test results there are as it relates to the population of each county.

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