New school COVID weekly cases drop below 50

The DeSoto County School District Monday reported 46 new cases of coronavirus among its ischool students in the week ending Friday, Feb. 12. 

There were also 381 new quarantines reported from the district’s schools. It should be noted that Thursday, Feb. 11 was a snow day, and the following day was a school holiday. 

The most number of cases reported last week came from Lake Cormorant High School where there were 10 new cases. Eight new cases were reported at Center Hill High School and there were four cases each from Southaven High School and Hernando Middle School.  

The schools with the most quarantines last week were at Center Hill High School with 68, followed by 67 each at Hernando Middle School and at Lake Cormorant High School.  

Twenty staff members, teachers and support employees reported new positive cases last week, according to the latest district report.  

Monday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 544 new positive cases of coronavirus in the 24-hour period ending Sunday at 6 p.m. There were also two added death reports in the state, but none of those came from DeSoto County. 

Statewide totals for coronavirus through 6 p.m. were 287,980 positive cases and 6,464 COVID-related deaths.  Numbers from DeSoto County are 19,234 cases and 226 victims.  

The vaccination site at the Landers Center was closed Monday due to the weather.

MSDH reported that for the week ending Feb. 6, the test positivity rate in DeSoto County had dropped to 12.6 percent. The weekly rate last month had been as high as 23 percent, MSDH reported. 

Statewide hospitalizations with confirmed coronavirus cases did rise slightly to 572 with confirmed infections on Sunday, an increase of four from the previous day. However, the number of Mississippians in hospitals with COVID-19 remains on a downward trend since Jan. 25 from a high of 1,006 hospitalized on Jan. 26. 

Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven reported 25 coronavirus patients there as of Sunday with four more in intensive care. 

Methodist-Olive Branch Hospital informed MSDH on Sunday of six coronavirus patients at its facility with two more in ICU.