JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi is reporting a higher number of new cases of coronavirus per capita each day than any other U.S. state, according to Johns Hopkins University data analyzed by The Associated Press. The data was evaluated over a 14-day period.
However, data from the state Department of Health show the numbers of patients hospitalized in the state is steadily decreasing. The number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus in Mississippi peaked this month at 978 on Aug. 7. On Aug. 25, some 730 patients were hospitalized, or more than 200 fewer.
“We do continue to see trends in decreasing hospitalizations. … Certainly, all good trends, but we want to keep them that way,” Mississippi’s State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Tuesday. “I’m worried about our future obviously, and want to make sure we keep up the gains.”
The Health Department said Wednesday that Mississippi, with a population of about 3 million, has had at least 80,110 reported cases and at least 2,373 deaths from COVID-19 as of Tuesday evening. That’s an increase of 904 confirmed cases and 58 deaths from numbers reported the day before, with 44 occurring between July 21 and August 18, and later identified from death certificate reports.
The true number of virus infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick. The virus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most but can be more severe or fatal for some, especially older adults and those with underlying health conditions.
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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
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