Outbreaks at Lauderdale County long-term care facilities rise
Published 10:22 am Thursday, April 16, 2020
- Mississippi COVID-19 map posted Thursday, April 16.
The Mississippi State Department of Health confirmed an additional COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care facility in Lauderdale County Thursday, bringing the total to six, the highest in the state.
State health officials are not releasing the names of facilities where outbreaks occur, citing privacy concerns.
In a post on its Facebook page Wednesday, Aldersgate Retirement Community in Meridian said a resident in assisted living tested positive for COVID-19.
“The elder is in isolation and is receiving the appropriate care,” Aldersgate said in the statement. “We have notified public health officials as required and are following procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.”
Earlier this month, the nursing home Diversicare of Meridian confirmed “a number of residents and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19.”
MSDH reported nine new cases of COVID-19 in the county Thursday, for a total of 174, the fourth highest number of cases in the state.
As of Thursday, records show 12 people from Lauderdale County have died from COVID-19, more people than in any other county.
Anderson Regional Medical Center was hospitalizing 18 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, the hospital’s website said.
State health officials confirmed 264 new cases in Mississippi Thursday, for a state total of 3,624, and seven additional deaths, bringing the total number of deaths statewide to 129.
MSDH reported Clarke County had 20 cases, one death and two outbreaks at long-term care facilities, Kemper County had 16 cases, Neshoba County had 39 cases and one death and Newton County had 16 cases and one outbreak at a long-term care facility.
Outbreaks in long-term care facilities (LTCs)
Long-term care (LTC) facilities like nursing homes are considered high risk locations because their residents are older or in poor health. Even one case of COVID-19 in these facilities among residents or employees is considered an outbreak. We investigate residents, staff and close contacts of infected individuals for possible exposure. The number of LTC facilities with outbreaks are shown for each county in the table below.
| County | Cases | Deaths | LTCs with Outbreaks |
| Adams | 70 | 4 | 2 |
| Alcorn | 7 | ||
| Amite | 16 | 1 | |
| Attala | 28 | ||
| Benton | 5 | ||
| Bolivar | 74 | 5 | 4 |
| Calhoun | 30 | 2 | 1 |
| Carroll | 9 | 1 | |
| Chickasaw | 37 | 2 | 1 |
| Choctaw | 11 | 1 | |
| Claiborne | 8 | ||
| Clarke | 20 | 1 | 2 |
| Clay | 21 | ||
| Coahoma | 45 | 1 | |
| Copiah | 39 | 1 | |
| Covington | 19 | ||
| Desoto | 211 | 3 | 1 |
| Forrest | 134 | 2 | 2 |
| Franklin | 14 | ||
| George | 8 | ||
| Greene | 3 | ||
| Grenada | 14 | 1 | |
| Hancock | 50 | 5 | 2 |
| Harrison | 134 | 5 | 2 |
| Hinds | 301 | 4 | 5 |
| Holmes | 53 | 3 | |
| Humphreys | 12 | 3 | 1 |
| Itawamba | 13 | 1 | |
| Jackson | 189 | 5 | 2 |
| Jasper | 19 | ||
| Jefferson | 4 | 1 | |
| Jefferson Davis | 7 | 1 | |
| Jones | 48 | 3 | |
| Kemper | 16 | ||
| Lafayette | 39 | 2 | |
| Lamar | 56 | 1 | |
| Lauderdale | 174 | 12 | 6 |
| Lawrence | 10 | ||
| Leake | 50 | 1 | |
| Lee | 48 | 4 | |
| Leflore | 62 | 6 | 1 |
| Lincoln | 86 | 6 | 2 |
| Lowndes | 30 | 1 | |
| Madison | 116 | 3 | 3 |
| Marion | 35 | 1 | |
| Marshall | 37 | 2 | |
| Monroe | 54 | 3 | 2 |
| Montgomery | 15 | 1 | |
| Neshoba | 39 | 1 | |
| Newton | 16 | 1 | |
| Noxubee | 18 | ||
| Oktibbeha | 42 | 1 | 2 |
| Panola | 27 | 2 | |
| Pearl River | 112 | 8 | 2 |
| Perry | 20 | 1 | |
| Pike | 82 | 2 | 2 |
| Pontotoc | 16 | 2 | |
| Prentiss | 15 | 1 | |
| Quitman | 13 | ||
| Rankin | 122 | 2 | 1 |
| Scott | 100 | 1 | |
| Sharkey | 3 | ||
| Simpson | 13 | 1 | |
| Smith | 37 | 1 | 1 |
| Stone | 16 | ||
| Sunflower | 43 | 2 | |
| Tallahatchie | 7 | ||
| Tate | 27 | ||
| Tippah | 45 | 6 | 1 |
| Tishomingo | 2 | ||
| Tunica | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| Union | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| Walthall | 22 | ||
| Warren | 16 | 1 | |
| Washington | 67 | 2 | 2 |
| Wayne | 10 | ||
| Webster | 15 | 1 | |
| Wilkinson | 53 | 3 | 1 |
| Winston | 24 | ||
| Yalobusha | 14 | ||
| Yazoo | 72 | 1 | |
| Total | 3,624 | 129 | 65 |
The numbers in this table are provisional. County case numbers and deaths may change as investigation finds new or additional information about residence.
–Mississippi Department of Health
