COVID-19 cases rising in DeSoto County

Health officials have been concerned about a rise in COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks and another indication of their concern was a recent posting by Covid Act Now that has pegged DeSoto County again in a high community risk level for the virus.  

Covid Act Now is an initiative focusing on coronavirus which started shortly after the coronavirus pandemic began to provide virus-related data assessment for every state, 380 metropolitan areas, more than 3,000 counties and two U.S. territories. Stanford Medicine, Harvard Global Health Institute, and Georgetown University Medical Center are among the initiative partners.  It is part of the Act Now Coalition nonprofit with a goal to provide leaders with data-based information to make decisions about the virus. 

On Friday, Covid Act Now released a report identifying DeSoto County as being at a high-risk level for COVID-19, raising the county from an earlier medium-risk level. The state of Mississippi is at a low-risk level, according to Covid Act Now data as of Friday. 

According to their data through Friday, June 17, DeSoto County has seen 216.8 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population in the past week, 10.2 weekly hospital admissions with coronavirus per 100,000 population, and 4.3 percent of patients with COVID-19 in all hospitals.

DeSoto County ranks 10th in the state for weekly cases per capita with Tunica County ranked first. DeSoto is also 10th among Mississippi counties for weekly COVID-19 admissions per capita and is seventh in the state for percentage of patients with COVID-19 in hospitals.  

Sixty-five-point-six percent of DeSoto County residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 55.6 percent have two doses, or one Johnson & Johnson vaccine dose, and 19.6 percent of the county population has gotten a booster shot.  

The cases and admission numbers have been on the rise, leading to the county being among a few Mississippi locations to be put in the high-risk community level. Tippah and Tunica counties are also at a high-community risk level in the state.  

Covid Act Now recommends wearing masks indoors due to the high risk levels and continue to seek coronavirus testing if experiencing symptoms or have been near someone with coronavirus. 

On Thursday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 1,156 new cases of coronavirus in the state, with three new deaths, for a pandemic total of 820,659 cases and 12,492 virus-related fatal victims. 

MSDH also recommended continued wearing of masks, stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if symptoms occur or you have been near someone with COVID-19.  

The Covid Act Now information is reflective of current Centers for Disease Control data and is found on their website.