2,821 new COVID-19 cases, 7 new deaths reported Wednesday in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 2,821 new cases of COVID-19 and 7 new deaths in the state over a 24-hour period. The number of new cases were reported between 3pm Monday and 3pm Tuesday.

All 7 deaths occurred between Aug. 1 and Aug. 3. In the six southern counties of the state, new deaths were reported in Jackson County (1) and Pearl River County (1).

Wednesday, the six southern counties reported 684 new cases. Those were reported in Jackson County (249), Harrison County (223), George County (85), Stone County (47), Hancock County (41), and Pearl River County (39).

Mississippi investigates both probable and confirmed cases and deaths, said MSDH. As of Aug. 3 at 3pm, there have been a total of 352,891 cases and 7,597 deaths reported.

Of those cases, positive diagnoses of the COVID-19 variants are also being rapidly being detected across Mississippi, including in the six southernmost counties.

READ MORE: ‘A horrific situation’: High number of COVID-19 cases straining hospitals in South Mississippi

Hospitalizations

In the last two weeks, hospitalizations in Mississippi have more than doubled. As of Aug. 2, there were 1,035 people hospitalized in Mississippi with confirmed infections. Of those, 284 were in the ICU and 151 were on a ventilator. The majority of those hospitalized are not vaccinated, according to MSDH.

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 July 26, 2021, there are 317,559 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.

Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccinations for Mississippians are available at no cost from MSDH sites around the state, and from local pharmacies and healthcare providers. In all, the Mississippi Department of Health, 34 percent of the state’s residents have been vaccinated as of July 28. To see the most recent vaccination report from MSDH, click here.

Testing

As of Aug. 1, 2201, more than 3 million COVID-19 tests have been done statewide, which includes the number of tests by MSDH and the number of tests given by other providers.

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.

For more information on vaccinations, including who is eligible and where appointments can be made, click here.

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