542 COVID cases, 96 deaths reported Wednesday in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - Nearly 100 new COVID-related deaths were reported Wednesday by the Mississippi Department of Health.

That number comes as cases from the virus have seen a downward trend over the last few weeks. In all, 542 new cases were reported in the Magnolia State on Wednesday. That is the total number of cases reported between 3pm Monday and 3pm Tuesday, and includes 92 cases from the six lower counties of the state.

Those cases were in the following counties: Harrison County (42), Jackson County (21), Pearl River County (13), George County (6), Hancock County (6), and Stone County (4).

The 96 deaths reported on Wednesday all occurred between Jan. 31 and Feb. 21, with seven new deaths reported in South Mississippi in Harrison County (4), Pearl River County (1), George County (1), and Jackson County (1). Of those, 25 deaths occurred between Feb. 13-21 and the other 71 were identified through death certificate reports for deaths between Jan. 31 and Feb. 16.

As of February 22 at 3pm, there have been a total of 787,938 cases and 11,954 deaths reported in Mississippi.

On Tuesday, the MSDH reported a new influenza-associated pediatric death in a child under 18. It’s the second pediatric flu death of the 2021-2022 flu season. Though flu activity is currently low in Mississippi, flu is still being transmitted.

As of Feb. 17, there were 630 people hospitalized in Mississippi with confirmed infections. Of those, 160 were in the ICU and 110 were on ventilators.

COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots are available for Mississippians at no cost from MSDH sites around the state, and from local pharmacies and healthcare providers. In all, the Mississippi Department of Health reports that 50% of the state’s residents are fully vaccinated as of Feb. 15. That’s lower than the national average of vaccinated Americans, which currently sits at 64%. As for booster shots, 36% of Mississippians have received one. The national average is 43%.

To see the most recent vaccination report from MSDH, click here.

Click here for more information on vaccinations, including where appointments can be made.

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: 228-809-5000
• MS Dept. of Health Coronavirus Hotline: 877-978-6453.

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.

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