301 new COVID-19 cases, 44 new deaths reported Tuesday in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - In Mississippi, there were 301 cases of COVID-19 and 44 new deaths reported Tuesday in the entire state.

On March 2, MSDH reported 37 new cases and five new deaths for the six southernmost counties.

New cases were identified in Harrison County (12), Jackson County (11), Hancock County (6), Pearl River County (7), and George County (1). No new cases were reported in Stone County.

Between Feb. 12-28, new deaths in the six southernmost counties of Mississippi were reported in Hancock County (1), Harrison County (1), and Jackson County (1). Additional new deaths that occurred between Jan. 4 and Feb. 24 that were identified through death certificate reports were also reported in Harrison County (1) and Jackson County (1).

Mississippi investigates both probable and confirmed cases and deaths, said MSDH. As of March 1 at 6pm, there have been a total of 295,295 cases investigated, which includes 183,164 confirmed cases. There have been 6,724 deaths investigated, including 4,698 confirmed deaths.

*The graphics in this story will be updated once they’re available on the MSDH website.

Hospitalizations

As of Feb. 28, there were 413 people hospitalized in Mississippi with confirmed infections. Of those, 111 were in the ICU. The majority of people who get COVID-19 will not require hospitalization, say health officials.

Probable cases are those who test positive by other testing methods such as antibody or antigen, and have recent symptoms consistent with COVID-19, indicating a recent infection.

Probable deaths are those individuals with a designation of COVID-19 as a cause of death on the death certificate, but where no confirmatory testing was performed.

Recoveries

As of March 1, there are 278,162 people who are presumed to have recovered from COVID-19.

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.

Pediatric Cases, including MIS-C, and Underlying Conditions

Cases among adults ages 25-39 are highest, warns MSDH. Most geriatric cases occur in the 70-79 age group. The majority of pediatric cases are in children between the ages of 11-17.

Mississippi reported its first pediatric death from COVID-19 on Sept. 1, 2020. Officials said the child was between the ages of 1-5.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19 that causes inflammation in many body parts, including the heart and other vital organs. Those aged 20 and younger diagnosed with MIS-C have either been infected with COVID-19 or been around someone who has COVID-19.

Underlying conditions are also reported in many of the deaths that have resulted from coronavirus complications.

Long-term Care Facilities

A total of 10,390 patients diagnosed with the virus are currently in long-term care facilities throughout the state as of March 1. In all, 1,954 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 Feb. 21, a total of 2,365,065 tests have been done statewide, which includes the number of tests by MSDH and the number of tests given by other providers. That includes 1,617,180 PCR tests, 80,525 antibody tests, and 728,148 antigen tests.

PCR testing detects current, active COVID-19 infection in an individual. Antibody (serology) testing identifies individuals with past COVID-19 infection based on antibodies they develop one to three weeks after infection.

Anyone wanting to be tested for COVID-19 can 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.

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