Tracking COVID-19 in Mississippi: 7,509 cases, 14 deaths reported Friday
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 7,509 new COVID-19 cases Friday.
The omicron variant’s high transmissibility rate, the state’s low vaccination rate and holiday gatherings served as a breeding ground for the rapidly spreading omicron variant, state health officials said. The single-day count record was set Jan. 13 with 9,300 new COVID-19 cases.
On Thursday, the state reported 14 new coronavirus-related deaths, all of which occurred from Saturday to Wednesday.
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Since the virus hit the state in March 2020, a total of 681,382 COVID-19 cases and 10,721 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported.
Outbreaks in Mississippi’s long-term care facilities continue to proliferate since the omicron variant edged into the state. On Thursday, the health department reported 316 outbreaks. Since March 2020, there have been 11,880 cases of the coronavirus in long-term care facilities and 2,119 deaths.
According to a New York Times database, at least 748,484 cases and 2,672 deaths were reported in the United States on Thursday. During the past week, there has been an average of 735,652 cases per day, an increase of 21% from the average two weeks earlier.
Residents between the ages of 25 and 39 represent the largest portion of the infected population in Mississippi with 156,442 cases.
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Among people under 18, children between the ages of 11 and 17 have the highest infection rate, with 63,597 cases identified. The 65 and older age group has the highest total number of deaths with 7,398 reported.
According to health department data, at least 1.7 million people have started the vaccination process in Mississippi as of Wednesday. Since December 2020, about 1.47 million people have been fully immunized against COVID-19. At least 500,000 have received a third dose or booster shot of either Pfizer or Moderna.
At least 533,658, people are presumed recovered from the virus, according to the health department's website.
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Jackson metro area cases, deaths since March of 2020
Hinds County has the highest number of reported cases in Mississippi with 47,341. Harrison County is second with 44,093 cases. DeSoto County has reported 43,813 cases. Jackson County has reported 32,118 cases and Rankin County has had 31,081 total cases.
Hinds County
Daily number of new deaths: 3
Daily number of new cases: 520
Total deaths: 682
Total cases: 47,341
Madison County
Daily number of new deaths: 0
Daily number of new cases: 441
Total deaths: 290
Total cases: 20,688 21129
Rankin County
Daily number of new deaths: 0
Daily number of new cases: 536
Total deaths: 422
Total cases: 31,081
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: COVID-19 in Mississippi: 7,509 new cases reported Friday
