Tallahatchie County’s second and third COVID-19 deaths were reported earlier this week by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH).
One of the victims had been a resident of the Tallahatchie General Hospital Extended Care Facility in Charleston.
The ECF recently reported that two of their residents, in their mid- to late-70s, were hospitalized — one in “serious” condition — after testing positive for the virus. Four workers there also have had confirmed cases, but three have fully recovered while the other has been in quarantine, according to TGH Chief Operating Officer Buddy McRae.
McRae said Tuesday that federal patient privacy laws prohibit him from saying more about the ECF resident. MSDH revealed the death during its daily report on Sunday morning.
On Monday, Tallahatchie County’s third novel coronavirus fatality was reported. Tallahatchie County Coroner Ginger Meriwether said that person, a 69-year-old Charleston male, had “multiple health issues.”
The county’s first COVID-19 death was reported by the Health Department April 17 and was said to be a woman.
As of an MSDH Thursday report, which was based on statistics submitted to the agency by 6 p.m. Wednesday, Tallahatchie County had 115 confirmed cases of the virus.
Wednesday and Thursday reports showed the largest two-day jump of COVID-19 cases in Tallahatchie county since the outbreak began. Wednesday's report revealed 10 new cases, setting a one-day mark that was topped by Thursday's reported 11 new cases.
In its Thursday report, the Health Department reported a statewide total of 870 new positive cases of COVID-19 and 10 more deaths.
Of those cases, 22 were among residents in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living centers. MSDH said there are now 101 active outbreaks in those facilities. An outbreak is at least one confirmed case among residents or staff.
After reaching a height of 136 outbreaks on June 1, long-term care facility flare-ups fell fell to 71 on June 18 before beginning another climb.
The statistics reported Thursday raised the statewide total of confirmed COVID-19 cases since March 11 to 28,770, with 1,092 deaths.
The Health Department noted that 602 people were hospitalized for confirmed COVID-19 infection while another 261 were hospitalized with suspected COVID-19 as of 6 p.m. Wednesday.
MSDH presumes that 19,388 (73%) of the total infected with the virus in Mississippi have recovered, as of a June 29 report. MSDH updates this number weekly. This figure includes people never hospitalized who have not tested positive for COVID-19 in 14 days or more. It also includes cases in which there was a known hospitalization, or hospitalization was unknown, and it has been 21 days or more since the case tested positive.
As of Thursday's report, the then latest known COVID-19 case totals for Tallahatchie and area counties were as follow, with the previous day’s figures in parenthesis and the number of COVID-19 related deaths listed in bold:
» Coahoma: 190 (186) 6
» Grenada: 396 (380) 5
» Lafayette: 368 (352) 4
» Leflore: 474 (472) 49
» Panola: 295 (270) 6
» Quitman: 69 (68) 0
» Sunflower: 321 (306) 6
» Tallahatchie: 115 (104) 3
» Yalobusha: 166 (161) 7
MSDH notes that county case numbers and deaths are subject to change, sometimes adjusted downward, as investigation finds new or additional information about place of residence.
Tallahatchie County’s positive cases were reported to the public by MSDH on March 23 (1), March 24 (1), April 5 (1), April 13 (1), April 15 (2), April 16 (1), April 17 (1), April 22 (1), April 24 (2), May 2 (1), May 12 (1), May 13 (1), May 14 (1), May 15 (3), May 17 (1), May 18 (2), May 21 (2), May 24 (1), May 27 (1), May 28 (1), May 30 (1), June 2 (2), June 3 (1), June 5 (1), June 7 (1), June 8 (3), June 12 (two-day total of 4), June 13 (1), June 14 (2), June 15 (1), June 16 (2), June 17 (4), June 18-22 (15), June 23 (4), June 24 (4), June 25 (13), June 26 (3), June 27 (3), June 28 (2), June 30 (1), July 1 (10) and July 2 (11). The deaths were reported April 17, June 28 and June 29.
For more information, visit www.healthyms.com/covid-19.
