Residents asked to remain vigilant to fight COVID
Neshoba County’s COVID-19 infection rate is climbing again, according to data from The New York Times.
Last week, Neshoba County had an infection rate of 4,231 per 100,000 residents. This week, that infection rate rose to 4,417 per 100,000 residents.
New COVID-19 cases across the U.S. and Mississippi have dropped by 19 percent in the last two weeks, however.
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas E. Dobbs III on Tuesday urged Mississippians to keep their foot on the pedal and don’t ease up on wearing masks and social distancing. He said the virus is “not going anywhere soon” urging state residents to “stick with it for a while.”
Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday the state’s success is going to depend on the ability to drive the numbers down by being vigilant “being smart” and not gathering in large groups, wearing masks and social distancing.
Mississippi had its highest daily case numbers peak over 1,600 near the end of July.
In Neshoba County, 56 cases have been identified in the last week, bringing the total here to 1,288, despite the downward trend across the state.
Over the last seven days, Neshoba’s infection rate per 100,000 ranked 22nd in the state at 306, with Tunica County at the top with 758 per 100,000.
On Tuesday, the Mississippi State Department of Health announced only 644 new cases of COVID-19, along with 33 new deaths.
In total, 68,293 Mississippians have either been confirmed or presumed to have COVID-19, with 1,944 total deaths.
Some Neshoba Central Elementary School students have been sent home for 14-day quarantine, according to family members, but the district will not release any information. (See story, 1A).
The state remains under a mandatory mask order issued by Gov. Tate Reeves last week in the latest attempt to slow the spread of the virus.
Mississippians are also 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 92 COVID-related deaths in Neshoba County, up four from 88 last week. There have been 108 cases in long-term care facilities and 35 deaths.
The MSDH is reporting statewide that hospitalizations have declined from 977 to 932 since last week, with ICU patients down from 337 to 328. Ventilator usage remains idle at 196.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has reported a total of 1,053 positive cases among Tribal members, with nearly half of those coming from the Pearl River community.
The Tribe only saw an increase of 16 positive cases within the last week. The Tribe has tested 3,645 members, with 2,531 negative results. Of the positive cases, 956 have recovered, 76 have died and five are still hospitalized.