County COVID case numbers surge past 14,000

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Monday reported 1,701 new cases of coronavirus in Mississippi with 28 additional virus-related deaths, including two new death reports from DeSoto County. 

The two new victim reports in the county are from the period of Nov. 12-Dec. 20, according to the MSDH.

DeSoto County’s total number of coronavirus cases increased by 144 since Sunday’s update, now at 14,149. The two additional death reports grew the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 135. There have been 107 long-term care facility outbreaks in DeSoto County and 20 deaths at those facilities.

The number of cases in DeSoto County remains the highest in the state, but Hinds County remains the county where the virus has been most deadly, now at 252 virus-related deaths. Hinds County has reported 13,567 cases of COVID-19.

Test positivity rate in DeSoto County has fallen slightly, but is still in the MSDH Red Zone at 18.4 percent for the week ending Dec. 19.

As of Dec. 12, the test positivity rate was at 19.1 percent.  

Monday’s report on hospital beds in DeSoto County has two available beds at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven and none available in the hospital’s ICU unit.    

Baptist-DeSoto had 82 confirmed COVID-19 patients among its 192 beds and 13 adult COVID-19 patients in its 36-bed ICU area.  

Methodist-Olive Branch Hospital reported one available bed among its 42 staffed beds and two beds available in the hospital’s ICU area.  

Methodist-Olive Branch is treating 26 confirmed COVID-19 patients and has five adult COVID-19 patients in intensive care.  

Statewide, there have been a total of 202,651 coronavirus cases since the pandemic was declared in March and 4,556 people have died related to the virus.  MSDH reports 154,669 patients are considered presumed recovered from coronavirus.