Governor keeps masks, loosens other restrictions: COVID-19 Weekly Summary 14SEP2020

COVID-19: Week of September 8 – 14, 2020

Note: The MSDH did not report full hospital data last week on either September 7 or 8.  The most recent days reported are through 9-10-2020: This week’s report is adjusted to include data not reflected in last week’s report.

STATEWIDE MISSISSIPPI

•  Mississippi had 2639 new COVID-19 cases and 121 new deaths this week, for a total of 90,018 cases and 2706 deaths since reporting began on March 11, 2020.  The rate of new case increase (3% ) dropped from 5.3% last week. This gives Mississippi its third straight week of declining case numbers.
• Mississippi’s rate of 909* deaths per million of population was a 4.6% increase over last week.  Mississippi remains the 7th most lethal state behind  LA, NY, NJ, MA, CT,  and RI.
• Mississippi’s rate of 30,246* total COVID-19 cases per million keeps it in the nation’s 3rd highest position for infections, behind only Florida and Louisiana.
• Statewide Hospitalized Patients:
  • As of September 14, the MSDH hospital reports are current only to 9-10-2020; last week’s report were through 9-4. Therefore this report will address 6 days (Sept 5-10.)
  • There were an average of 543 COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization during the 6 days ending on 9-10-2020.  This is down by exactly 100 patients daily from last week’s report.
  • The daily average of COVID-19 patients requiring ICU dropped for a 5th week, but by only one patient, to 184, from the previous week’s 185.
  • Patients requiring ventilators dropped for the fifth week to an average 106 daily, down from last week’s 113.
  • STATEWIDE Long Term Care (LTC) facilities:
    • As of today, 9-14, 136 LTC facilities statewide reporting active coronavirus outbreaks.
    • There was a drop in the statewide number of new coronavirus cases this past week in LTC. Total LTC New cases rose by 283, compared to 523 last week. LTC facilities accounted for almost 10.7 % (down from 11.8%) of all new cases (283 of 2639 cases). This returns the state to a possible downward trajectory after last week’s report of 523 new LTC cases.
    • The percentage of new statewide deaths attributable to LTC was sharply down this week, at 43.8% (53 of 121). This returns the state to a possible downward trend in LTC attributable deaths.

NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI (NEMS):

• As of September 13th, Northeast Mississippi had 717 new COVID-19 cases, for a total of 14,033 cases, an increase of 5.4%, down strongly from last week’s 9.3%. This is the 6th week of downward percentages, but Northeast Mississippi is still having a higher percentage of new cases then statewide, which rose only 3%.
• NEMS’s total deaths reached 369, having increased by 23 this week.  There were 20 deaths in Long term care and 3 in the general population, a reversal of last weeks figures. The 23 new deaths represents a 6.6% increase over last week – essentially remaining constant from last week’s 6.5%.
•  NEMS Long Term Care (LTC) facilities:
  • On Sept 13th, 14 NEMS counties had active outbreaks in residents in 33 LTC facilities. This is up by one county, but down by 2 facility outbreaks from last week.
  • Northeast MS’s 20 new deaths in LTC facilities compares to only 4 last week.  Total deaths in all NEMS facilities are now 189.
  • Ten Northeast Mississippi counties had a total of 23 deaths this past week.
  • Nine of 15 counties surpassed the state’s average rate of increase (4.7%) in deaths.
    • Monroe had 4 deaths (6.6% increase)
    • There were 3 deaths each in Itawamba (17.6%), Lee (4.9%) and Tishomingo (9.7%).
    • There were 2 deaths each in Alcorn (28.6%), Chickasaw (9.1%), Pontotoc (15.4%) and Prentiss (13.3%).
    • There was 1 death in Calhoun (9.1%)
  • Lafayette County had 1 death this week, but its percentage of increase was 2.6%, which is lower than the state average increase of 4.7%.

• This week, LTC facilities in northeast MS accounted for 8.1% of new cases and 87% of new deaths in the region.
  • Benton County has no current active outbreaks
  • Benton and Tippah counties still have had no LTC facility residents’ deaths attributed to COVID-19.

The Take-Away For This Week

Mississippi is continuing its downward hospitalization trends. Hospitalized patients are down for the 7th week; ICU admissions and ventilator usage for Covid are both down for the 5th week.

Dr. Deborah Birx, of the White House Coronavirus task force is on a tour of college campuses across the nation this week. She praised the hard work being done in MS and throughout the south, but acknowledged Oxford is one of the top cities in the U.S. for new cases per capita.  Birx tour

Gov. Tate Reeves’ executive  extended a statewide mask mandate through the end of September.

We all need to maintain awareness of what is needed to keep ourselves going in the right direction. There could still be consequences arising from the Labor Day holiday and winter is approaching. It is time to get your influenza vaccine.

Vulnerable people in northeast Mississippi should continue extra precautions, as increased cases and deaths are largely due to issues of behavior.  Check your county statistics and know how they stand. Daily reports are available by county from the MSDH.

As always, if you are vulnerable, continue to take care of yourself in any way you see fit. If you are able, give assistance to someone who needs it.

14SEP2020 Weekly COVID-19 summary stats: Covid weekly 14SEP2020

MSDH COVID statistics by county:

*statistics from WorldOMeter as of day of posting

School reports by county: https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/10574.pdf

MS Executive Orders: