COVID-19 continues to be a roller-coaster for Coahoma County with the community on the downside of its third spike.
The community reported a big spike that topped out in September, but there have been no deaths over the past three weeks in Coahoma County attributed to COVID.
The September spike also seemed to prompt residents across the state to get the shot and that has been reflected in Clarksdale’s vaccination rate.
As of this week 47-percent of the county has been fully vaccinated, up from 35-percent in June.
COVID-19 vaccines are available – free of charge – at practically all pharmacies and Coahoma County held a massive immunization drive this summer, but only about 100 vaccinations were given.
The Mississippi State Department of Health as of Friday has confirmed 16 deaths in Coahoma County in August and early September, and 753 new cases of COVID-19, or about 100 cases over that seven week period.
The most recent numbers show a total of 4,143 confirmed cases in the county and 104 deaths due to the disease since the first case was reported locally on March 18, 2020.
The number of confirmed cases averages out to 18.3 percent of the county’s population who have tested positive and a fatality rate of 0.45 percent among the county’s 22,628 residents.
Coahoma County reported a high of 193 new cases on July 25, and 196 cases on Jan. 23. Coahoma County reported single digit cases most of the summer.
Those eligible for the free vaccine include anyone over the age of 12 who do not have underlying medical conditions.
Coahoma County residents are asked to call their healthcare provider to find out qualifications for getting the vaccine and where they are being administered. Coahoma County residents should not call the Coahoma County Health Department as they do not have the vaccine and are not answering the phone.
Coahoma County reported its first COVID-19 fatality on April 4 with the death of Bishop T.T. Scott, 88, leader of St. James Temple of God in Christ.
Frantic testing in the community just before school started last fall saw the number of cases in the community and Mississippi skyrocket and that apparently happened again this year.
The state is also figuring the infection rate in a new way with confirmed and probable infection numbers.
There have been 286,946 confirmed cases in the state and another 212,892 probable cases. Mississippi has also reported 6,667 confirmed deaths due to COVID and 3,290 probable deaths
Statewide there have been 499,838 total cases reported as of Tuesday and 9,957 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths. That means 17.3-percent of Mississippians have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 19 months and .35 percent of the state’s 2.876 million residents have died.
That averages 6,095.5 cases over Mississippi’s 82 counties, with Coahoma County well below that average.
Across the nation the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported 44,979,605 people or 13.7 percent of the nation’s 328.2 million people have contracted the disease and 726,206 or 1.6 percent of those infected have died.
Epidemiologists with the Center for Disease Control have estimated herd immunity – the number need to become infected, survive the disease and become immune to spreading it – would need to hit one-third to curb COVID-19. That means 7,542 people in Coahoma County would have to either contract the disease or be successfully vaccinated.
The CDC also says many people – especially those under the age of 19 – often get the disease and do not exhibit symptoms. Mississippi has had three child fatalities under the age of 4-years-old and 15,962 COVID cases and six deaths ages 5 to 17-years-old.
The disease has a greater impact on the elderly and those with underlying health concerns.
MSDH said Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine began being dispensed in Coahoma County in mid-January and serum was distributed to hospitals and health facilities for those involved in COVID-19 patient care. Long-term care facility residents and staff were next in line as were first responders such as police, fire and ambulance personnel.
The City of Clarksdale announced the extension of indoor and outdoor gathering, bar capacity and social distancing requirements in April 2020. The Board of Mayor and Commissioners have issued 26 executive orders related to COVID-19. Most in the community are not aware of the requirements other than being asked to wear a mask, practice social distancing and wash their hands.
Those who test positive are still being quarantined for two weeks and family members and co-workers can also be quarantined.
Several convenience stores and restaurants in the area closed for the second time in January after staff became infected. That did not appear to be the case locally this summer.
Major grocery stores, retail outlets and fast food restaurants have remained open throughout the pandemic and hired replacement workers to fill in for those who test positive.
The pandemic began 544 days ago and at this point 99.55 percent of Coahoma County residents who have caught coronavirus have gotten well. As of Friday MSDH says 320,771 of the state’s confirmed cases have gotten well.
The Mississippi State Department of Health has ramped up testing procedures across the state and most local healthcare providers offer the test for free and are reimbursed by the state.
As of Oct. 18, 58.3-percent of the cases have been among Whites, 35.4-percent among Blacks, 5-percent among other races. According to 2020 Census numbers Mississippi is 58.41-percent White, 37.72-percent Black and 3.87-percent other races.
