COVID impacts schools
There have been 22 positive cases of COVID-19 among students throughout Neshoba County and another four faculty and staff impacted, according to data from the Mississippi State Department of Health.
The data have not been updated since Tuesday, Aug. 25 and specific schools are not named.
According to MSDH, a total of 47 students in Neshoba County had been quarantined due to exposure.
The state does not report which specific school districts are impacted and by how much, though both the Philadelphia Public School District and Neshoba County School District have confirmed cases.
On Monday, Gov. Tate Reeves extended a statewide mask order for another 10 days and expanded the capacity for sporting events and other high school extracurricular activities to 25 percent. This came after the state reported the lowest total number of daily cases since early this summer with 274.
Reeves urged Mississippians to remain vigilant and said that if this trend continues for the next 10 days it can really have meaningful impact on the overall situation in the state.
On Tuesday, the state reported 634 new cases and 20 new deaths.
Mississippi had its highest daily case numbers peak over 1,600 near the end of July.
In Neshoba County, 29 cases have been identified in the last week, bringing the total here to 1,435. That’s a 60 percent decrease in new positive cases when compared to the week before.
In total, 83,584 Mississippians have either been confirmed or presumed to have COVID-19, with 2,493 total deaths. The state’s total cases have risen by nearly 5,200 in the last week — the same as the week before — and the death total has climbed 245. While the infection rate is trending down, the death rate doubled from the week before.
Mississippians also remain under a statewide public health order that requires anyone who has tested positive and not in the hospital to isolate immediately or face fines or possible jail time.
Failure to comply can result in a minimum misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500 or six months imprisonment or both. When a life-threatening disease is involved, failure to obey is a felony, punishable by a fine up to $5,000 or five years imprisonment or both.
As of Tuesday, the state reported 100 COVID-related deaths in Neshoba County, up one from 99 last week. There have been 109 cases in long-term care facilities and 37 deaths.
The MSDH is reporting statewide that hospitalizations have declined from 758 to 662 since last week, with ICU patients down from 237 to 207. Ventilator usage dropped from 127 to 121.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has reported a total of 1,083 positive cases among Tribal members, with nearly half of those coming from the Pearl River community.
The Tribe only saw an increase of six positive cases within the last week. The Tribe has tested 4,259 members, with 3,098 negative results. Of the positive cases, 1,001 have recovered, 77 have died and three are still hospitalized.