Morning update from MSDH shows pandemic growing in Miss.
Published 11:53 am Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Coronavirus Update Committee
Meeting every morning for updates and information exchange between the City of Batesville, Panola County, and phone calls with Panola Medical Center officials, and State Department of Health officials is a committee that then reports to various boards and leaders in the county. PIctured are (bottom right, then clockwise) Panola County Emergency Operations Director Daniel Cole, Asst. Public Works Director Newt Benson, Deputy Police Chief Kerry Pittman, Police Chief Jimmy McCloud, and Public Works Director David Karr.
On Tuesday, MSDA reported 177 new cases from Monday putting the statewide total at 1,915 as of that report. There had been 59 state deaths from the virus as of Monday at 6 p.m.
There are 2 new confirmed cases in Panola County, bringing the total here to 19.
“This thing is growing,” Police Chief Jimmy McCloud said Tuesday morning after the numbers were released. “The city has done a very good job in being proactive and positive while maintaining what we are doing.”
“We need to keep doing what we are and use extreme caution. We will continue to give stern warnings to anyone that we feel are out of compliance with what the board members have voted on and we will keep checking on businesses to make sure they are in line with all the ordinances,” he said.
The chief reported to the Mayor and Aldermen that Panola Medical Center continues to be overwhelmed, but overall the healthcare workers citywide are holding up strong.
McCloud said that beginning Tuesday all officers will be wearing face masks when on duty. “This is a new recommendation from the CDC and we are trying to set the example for the public,” he said.
“We don’t know what we are walking into on calls and we have to use the best protective measures we can,” McCloud said.
Emergency Operations Director Daniel Cole reminded the Board of Supervisors in their regular Monday meeting that reported cases in the county will never go down because of the way the Mississippi State Department of Health keeps the records.
Even as coronavirus patients become well again, or in the worst cases die, their positive tests will always be part of the state’s numbers.
With that in mind, observers will realize that several days of Panola County cases remaining the same or barely going up will mean the infection curve is flattening. A drop in reported cases is not needed to translate into fewer cases going forward.
Mississippi had eight deaths Monday.
Below is a chart with all the county Covid-19 listings.
The Mississippi State Department Health is advising the general public to cover their face (mouth and nose) with a mask or homemade cloth covering when in public places where a distance of at least six feet between persons is difficult to maintain. The CDC has tips on making, wearing and cleaning your own cloth face covering: https://www.cdc.gov/
More details of COVID-19 in the state, along with preventive steps to take against coronavirus, are online at http://HealthyMS.com/covid-19
The Mississippi Coronavirus Hotline is the best way to get your questions about COVID-19 answered. Call any time: 877-978-6453.
The latest state map shows Mississippi’s case total as reported at 6 p.m. last night.
Mississippi COVID-19 Cases to Date
Outbreaks in long-term care facilities (LTCs)
Long-term care (LTC) facilities like nursing homes are considered high risk locations because their residents are older or in poor health. Even one case of COVID-19 in these facilities among residents or employees is considered an outbreak. We investigate residents, staff and close contacts of infected individuals for possible exposure. The number of LTC facilities with outbreaks are shown for each county in the table below.
| County | Cases | Deaths | LTCs with Outbreaks |
| Adams | 24 | 1 | |
| Alcorn | 6 | ||
| Amite | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Attala | 15 | ||
| Benton | 5 | ||
| Bolivar | 54 | 2 | 2 |
| Calhoun | 10 | 1 | |
| Carroll | 7 | ||
| Chickasaw | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| Choctaw | 9 | 1 | |
| Claiborne | 3 | ||
| Clarke | 10 | ||
| Clay | 10 | ||
| Coahoma | 30 | 1 | |
| Copiah | 17 | ||
| Covington | 7 | ||
| Desoto | 140 | 1 | |
| Forrest | 59 | 1 | 1 |
| Franklin | 5 | ||
| George | 5 | ||
| Greene | 1 | ||
| Grenada | 8 | ||
| Hancock | 31 | 2 | 2 |
| Harrison | 89 | 3 | 1 |
| Hinds | 169 | 2 | |
| Holmes | 25 | 3 | |
| Humphreys | 5 | 1 | |
| Itawamba | 5 | ||
| Jackson | 108 | 5 | 1 |
| Jasper | 4 | ||
| Jefferson | 3 | ||
| Jones | 14 | 1 | |
| Kemper | 10 | ||
| Lafayette | 25 | 1 | |
| Lamar | 18 | 1 | |
| Lauderdale | 78 | 3 | 3 |
| Lawrence | 5 | ||
| Leake | 15 | ||
| Lee | 38 | 2 | |
| Leflore | 26 | 4 | 1 |
| Lincoln | 21 | 1 | 1 |
| Lowndes | 16 | ||
| Madison | 82 | 2 | 1 |
| Marion | 13 | 1 | |
| Marshall | 24 | 1 | |
| Monroe | 18 | 1 | 2 |
| Montgomery | 12 | 1 | |
| Neshoba | 12 | ||
| Newton | 7 | 1 | |
| Noxubee | 5 | ||
| Oktibbeha | 29 | 1 | 2 |
| Panola | 19 | 1 | |
| Pearl River | 56 | 3 | 2 |
| Perry | 14 | 1 | |
| Pike | 31 | 1 | |
| Pontotoc | 12 | 1 | |
| Prentiss | 10 | 2 | |
| Quitman | 9 | ||
| Rankin | 78 | 1 | |
| Scott | 32 | 1 | |
| Sharkey | 3 | ||
| Simpson | 7 | ||
| Smith | 11 | 1 | |
| Stone | 3 | ||
| Sunflower | 25 | 1 | |
| Tallahatchie | 3 | ||
| Tate | 18 | ||
| Tippah | 36 | 3 | |
| Tishomingo | 1 | ||
| Tunica | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| Union | 6 | 1 | |
| Walthall | 14 | ||
| Warren | 7 | 1 | |
| Washington | 40 | 1 | 1 |
| Wayne | 5 | ||
| Webster | 12 | 1 | |
| Wilkinson | 32 | 3 | 1 |
| Winston | 17 | ||
| Yalobusha | 11 | ||
| Yazoo | 32 | 1 | |
| Total | 1,915 | 59 | 38 |
