The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Coahoma County rose by four Friday and now stands at 26 after the county first reported two cases on March 18.
There still have not been any Coahoma County deaths attributed to COVID-19. With the community now 17-days into the pandemic, it is apparent some of those 26 have gotten well.
The Center for Disease Control said the typical case of COVID-19 can last up to two weeks, with those with severe cases being ill up to three or four weeks.
The Mississippi State Department of Health and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, brought in a mobile coronavirus testing unit Friday and tested approximately 25 people for the disease at the Coahoma County Expo Center. The results of those tests do not appear to have radically altered the local case count.
Across the state' Mississippi's coronavirus count rose by 181 from 1,177 Thursday to 1,358 today. There were three new fatalities associated with the disease today and 29 deaths have reported in the state.
Mississippi has a population of 2.987 million people and as of Friday April 3, .0454-percent have the disease.
The state set a new high in new cases Friday morning, topping the previous high of 136 on Thursday. Mississippi initially reported 50 cases on March 19. All new cases suspected by the state are being confirmed by federal health authorities
Two of the interesting statistics coming out the MSDH numbers are that 68-percent of those identified with coronavirus are not being hospitalized and 59 percent of those infected are female. MSDH numbers also indicate 54-percent of those with the illness are over the age of 50 and 11.7-percent are between the age of 18 and 29.
As of today, 5,596 people had been tested by the MSDH Public Health Laboratory for the disease. The state has told those who have symptoms and have been tested to retest in two weeks as the test indication can be incorrect up to 30 percent of the time.
Mississippi seems to be getting more tests than many states. Urban areas of the state -- and nation -- are getting more testing. The more rural area of the nation -- the midwest and mountain states -- are reporting fewer cases of coronavirus. The Northeast -- particularly New York City -- and the eastern seaboard are reporting most of the country's cases.
Cases reported as of today in the following Mississippi counties were: Adams (14), Alcorn (6), Amite (5), Attala (14) Benton (5), Bolivar (32), Calhoun (4), Carroll (5), Chickasaw (15), Choctaw (7), Claiborne (1), Clarke (4), Clay (7), Coahoma (26), Copiah (11), Covington (4), Desoto (111), Forrest (30), Franklin (3), George (4), Grenada (4), Hancock (28), Harrison (69), Hinds (139), Holmes (16), Humphreys (4), Itawamba (3), Jackson (75), Jasper (3), Jefferson (1), Jones (8), Kemper (4), Lafayette (21), Lamar (9), Lauderdale (50), Lawrence (5), Leake (7), Lee (26), Leflore (21), Lincoln (14), Lowndes (12), Madison (65), Marion (5), Marshall (19), Monroe (12), Montgomery (10), Neshoba (5), Newton (4), Noxubee (5), Oktibbeha (23), Panola (8), Pearl River (41), Perry (11), Pike (21), Pontotoc (11), Prentiss (9), Quitman (4), Rankin (64), Scott (17), Sharkey (2), Simpson (5), Smith (6), Sunflower (13), Tallahatchie (2), Tate (13), Tippah (30), Tishomingo (1), Tunica (14), Union (5), Walthall (11), Warren (2), Washington (31), Wayne (1), Webster (8), Wilkinson (22), Winston (11), Yalobusha (7) and Yazoo (13).
County case numbers change as investigations find new information on a cases home county. Coahoma County reported its first two cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, March 18.
The state announced its first death due to coronavirus March 20. Fatalities attributed to the disease have been reported in Amite (1), Bolivar (1), Chickasaw (2), Desoto (1), Hancock (1), Harrison (1), Holmes (1), Humphreys (1), Jackson (1), Lafayette (1), Lee (1), Leflore (1), Marshall (1), Monroe (1), Montgomery (1), Newton (1), Panola (1), Perry (1), Pontotoc (1), Rankin (1), Sunflower (1), Tippah (3), Tunica (1), Webster (1) and Wilkinson (2) counties as of today.
No deaths attributed to coronavirus have been reported in Coahoma County as of Friday, April 3. A man with connections to Coahoma County and who often stayed here but listed his address at Crenshaw in Panola County has died of the disease.
The virus appears to be affecting the state's higher population areas such as the Gulf Coast, Jackson metropolitan area, Desoto County and Lee County more intensely. Communities that have had people travel to or from larger U.S. cities also appear to have a higher incident of the disease.
Clarksdale residents have been told by city and county officials to not gather in groups of more than 10 people. State and federal authorities are urging people to wash their hand religiously and follow strict personal hygiene practices.
No official reason has been given as to why Coahoma County has a higher per capita number of cases as opposed to other counties of similar size. Coahoma County had a population of 22,628 according to 2018 census estimates. As of today .274 percent of the county's population has been diagnosed with the disease. Bolivar, Leflore and Washington counties have 32, 21 and 31 cases respectively, but larger populations.
This is a rapidly changing situation that is continually being monitored by the Center for Disease Control and MSDH as more cases in the U.S. are expected. The risk of infection to the general public in Mississippi remains low, but all Mississippians are advised to take health precautions to prevent the possible transmission of disease.
The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting presumptive positive cases of coronavirus. Presumptive cases are reports that have been MSDH lab-tested and are awaiting further testing and confirmation by the federal CDC.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Your Clarksdale Press Register will keep readers posted as we learn more information and as news changes. All stories about coronavirus are being offered free to the community and will not be put behind the Clarksdale Press Register paywall.
