Mississippi reports highest number of COVID-19 cases in one day since pandemic began

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 6,592 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 new deaths in the state Wednesday. That case total is for the period between 3pm Monday and 3pm Tuesday.

It’s the highest single-day number of cases the state has recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020. Previously, the highest number of cases in a 24-hour period was 5,048 on Aug. 20, 2021.

In the six lower counties, 1,216 new cases were reported in the following counties during that period. Those cases were in the following counties: Harrison County (516), Jackson County (370), Pearl River County (128), Hancock County (124), George County (42), and Stone County (36). No new deaths were reported in those counties.

As of Jan. 4 at 3pm, there have been a total of 572,694 cases and 10,503 deaths reported in Mississippi.

As of Jan. 3, there were 742 people hospitalized in Mississippi with confirmed infections. Of those, 149 were in the ICU and 57 were on a ventilator. The majority of those hospitalized are not vaccinated, according to MSDH.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 4,840 new cases of COVID-19 and 37 new deaths in the state Tuesday. That total is for the period between 3pm Sunday through 3pm Monday.(MSDH)

A Health Alert released by the Mississippi State Department of Health last week warned about the rapid increase in cases, hospitalizations, and outbreaks over the last week. Some key points include:

• Hospitalizations have increased at a very rapid rate as well, with 400 total admissions forCOVID-19 reported on 12/27/2021, compared to just 239 on 12/24/2021.
• Outbreaks in nursing home settings have almost doubled in the last week, up to 63 total outbreaks on 12/27/2021.
• There is an increased demand for testing in the last week as well and the percent positivity has increased to approximately 11% statewide.
• Omicron cases are growing. For the week ending December 25, 2021, the Omicron variant accounted for approximately 13% of all samples sequenced in the state, up from approximately 8% in the previous week. Samples collected in the last two weeks still pending sequencing.
• The Omicron variant is significantly more infectious than the Delta variant, potentially 50% more, and we anticipate this variant will become the predominant strain in Mississippi in the coming days to weeks.

Cases among adults ages 25-39 are highest, warns MSDH. However, the majority of people who have died from COVID-19 are over the age of 65.

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 48% of the state’s residents are fully vaccinated as of Dec. 28. That’s much lower than the national average of vaccinated Americans, which currently sits at 62%. As for booster shots, 29% of Mississippians have received one.

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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