Tallahatchie County has experienced a 25th COVID-19 death, and the one-day total of new positive cases reported in Mississippi on Thursday was the most in about two months.
The latest death of a Tallahatchian was reported by MSDH on Thursday, raising the total to 25 since the first local death was reported on April 17. A total of 815 Tallahatchians have now tested positive for COVID-19.
Thursday's MSDH report listed the number of new positive COVID-19 cases in Mississippi at 1,322 — the greatest single-day total since Aug. 19, when 1,348 new cases were reported.
MSDH said 108,139 Mississippians have tested positive for the virus, and 3,152 have died. An estimated 94,165 of those who tested positive are now presumed to have recovered, a total updated weekly.
As of Thursday's report, which covered a 24-hour period ending at 6 p.m. Wednesday, 481 people in the Magnolia State were hospitalized for confirmed COVID-19 infection, and 137 of those were being treated in hospital intensive care units.
During a Monday afternoon press briefing in Jackson, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs addressed the recent spike in case totals.
“All the indicators are looking in the wrong direction,” he said. “Hospitalizations are up, cases are up; Deaths are not really up so much, but we know that always lags. The last time we saw that was before the summer surge.”
Health officials have been predicting a fall spike in the number of coronavirus cases, coinciding with the start of the annual flu season.
Wearing a face mask in public and practicing social distancing and good hand hygiene are still recommended best safety practices.
Meanwhile, MSDH is offering free drive-thru testing Saturday in Charleston.
The Oct. 17 testing will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the former National Guard armory, 402 S. Cossar St. No appointment is necessary, and people are not required to have symptoms to be tested.
Offered through the MSDH Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity, this testing opportunity is in addition to regular testing being conducted around the state by MSDH.
Wearing a face covering in public and practicing social distancing and good hand hygiene are still recommended best safety practices. Gov. Tate Reeves allowed the statewide mask mandate to expire on Sept. 30, but many local mandates remain in place, and most businesses and government require that a face covering be worn by anyone entering.
MSDH reported COVID-19 case totals for Tallahatchie and area counties were as follows, with the previous day's figures in parenthesis and deaths listed in bold:
» Coahoma: 1,219 (1,215) 35
» Grenada: 1,190 (1,180) 37
» Lafayette: 2,395 (2,376) 42
» Leflore: 1,570 (1,553) 84
» Panola: 1,620 (1,612) 36
» Quitman: 407 (407) 6
» Sunflower: 1,553 (1,545) 49
» Tallahatchie: 815 (812) 25
» Yalobusha: 479 (472) 14
For the latest COVID-19 guidance and case updates for Mississippi, download the free MS Ready mobile app.
Additional information, including complete county-by-county case statistics, preventive recommendations and more, is available at the MSDH website at www.healthyms.com/covid-19.
