Mississippi adds 178 new COVID-19 cases including four in Warren County

The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting Wednesday that the number of new COVID-19 cases is 178, bringing the total of cases to 4,894. of 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21

Another 10 Mississippians died of the virus yesterday, bringing the number of deaths in the state to 193.

In addition, MSDH reports four additional confirmed cases in Warren County bringing the number of cases to 29. The county’s death toll stands at two.

MSDH has changed the way it is reporting outbreaks in long-term care facilities, now showing the number of individual cases in the facilities (470) in its chart, below, instead of the number of facilities under investigation. The number of facilities under investigation is 74, a decrease of five since yesterday. Even one case is a long-term care facility is considered an outbreak because of the ages and poor health of many residents.

Neighboring Hinds County, which remains the state’s virus epicenter, is reporting 377 cases today, an increase of 20 since yesterday, and six death. Six cases in long-term care facilities are under investigation in Hinds County.

In other neighboring counties, Claiborne reports two new cases, bringing its total to 12, and Sharkey reports three cases, unchanged since yesterday. Neither Claiborne nor Sharkey has any reported deaths from the virus. Yazoo County reports 103 cases and one death, unchanged since yesterday. Issaquena County remains the only county in the state without any reported cases.

MSDH reports new statistics on the COVID-19 coronavirus each morning based on the previous day’s testing and death reports.

Cases and deaths from the virus are heavily skewed toward African Americans, and MSDH is reporting racial breakdowns of each county’s statistics, available on its website. As of today, 52.7% of cases (2,582) and 62.2% of COVID-19 deaths (120) in Mississippi were among African Americans.

Almost all of the COVID-19 deaths in Mississippi occurred among people with underlying health conditions, including obesity, lung disease and diabetes. The health of African Americans is contributing to their higher rate of death from COVID-19.

All age groups have been affected by the disease, including children under 18, with 134 cases, up five since yesterday. As of Tuesday, MSDH reports eight cases in infants less than one year old, unchanged since yesterday. No deaths among juveniles have been reported in Mississippi.

Deaths and hospitalizations from the virus occur most frequently among those 60 and older. As of Monday, 587 of Mississippi’s 909 hospitalizations, or 64.6%, were among people over 60, and nearly 90% of the state’s deaths (173) have been people over 60.

The rate of hospitalizations for those diagnosed with COVID-19 continues to drop. From a high of more than 30%, the rate stands at 21.8% as of Tuesday. The national average for hospitalizations from the virus is 20 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; however, the rate skyrockets to 63.8 per 100,000 for those 65 and older.

The number of people tested in Mississippi as of April 21 was 53,835, with 42,950 tests performed by private labs. The number of tests completed by the MSDH Public Health Laboratory through April 21 is 10,885, with 1,247 positive results, a rate of 11.5%.

Anyone with symptoms of fever, severe cough or severe chest pains – especially those who are older or in poor health – should arrange for testing with their doctor or one of the many health-care providers now performing testing. Healthcare providers can assess your health history and symptoms and perform testing for COVID-19 as needed. MSDH is also helping conduct free drive-up testing sites in many parts of the state. Always call ahead to the testing provider for instructions on safely being examined before you visit for your test.

Free drive-through testing is available in Claiborne County today.

Find a COVID-19 testing provider near you

For more information, visit the MSDH website or call the hotline at 877-978-6453, available 24/7.

Mississippi COVID-19 cases, deaths and cases in long-term care facilities to date: