4,412 new COVID-19 cases, 20 new deaths reported Thursday in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 4,412 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 new deaths in the state on Thursday. The number of new cases were reported between 3pm Tuesday and 3pm Wednesday.

It’s the highest number of new cases Mississippi has seen in a 24-hour period since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The six southern counties reported 1,038 new cases and two new deaths on Thursday. The new cases were reported in Harrison County (429), Jackson County (285), Hancock County (62), Pearl River County (151), George County (60), and Stone County (51).

One new death was reported in Harrison County that occurred this month. One additional death that occurred between Dec. 23 and July 31 was reported in George County after being identified through death certificate reports.

Mississippi investigates both probable and confirmed cases and deaths, said MSDH. As of Aug. 11 at 3pm, there have been a total of 376,124 cases and 7,730 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 few weeks, hospitalizations in Mississippi have more than doubled. As of Aug. 10, there were 1,378 people hospitalized in Mississippi with confirmed infections. Of those, 388 were in the ICU and 249 were on a ventilator. The majority of those hospitalized 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 Aug. 9, 2021, there are 326,558 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. 8, 2201, more than 3.1 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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