Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday afternoon he was reviewing the state’s health data to determine if he should implement additional restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19.

In the last eight days, records show Mississippi has added 7,238 COVID-19 cases.

Reeves’ Safe Return order, which is set to expire on Monday, is likely to be extended, he said.

“COVID-19 is not going away,” Reeves said. “The virus is real. It is deadly. It is highly contagious. It is spreading rapidly and it is killing people across our state.”

Eight major medical centers in Mississippi had no available ICU beds as of Friday afternoon and some patients had to be transferred out of state for care, according to State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs.

Dobbs, who warned the state is seeing “ongoing widespread community transmission” of the virus, recommended that people not gather in groups at all.

Lauderdale Emergency Management Agency will host a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21.

The testing, which is available by appointment only, will be located at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center at 1022 Highway 19 South.

To set up an appointment, go to umc.edu/covidscreening and complete the online questionnaire or call 601-496-7200.

The Mississippi State Department of Health and the University of Mississippi Medical Center will be conducting the testing.

The city of Meridian said Thursday afternoon it had a possible case of COVID-19 in the public works department and employees were being tested as a precaution.

Some day-to-day operations such as grass cutting and street sweeping have been temporarily suspended and are expected to resume Monday, according to Public Safety Director Doug Stephens.

MSDH reported 1,032 new cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi Friday, for a total of 40,829 cases and 24 additional deaths, for a total of 1,332 deaths statewide.

Seven of the deaths occurred between May 11 and July 7 and were identified from death certificate reports, MSDH said.

In Lauderdale County, health officials reported eight new cases Friday, for a total of 1,024, and 83 total deaths.

The county added 33 new cases Thursday – the largest daily increase for the county for both June and July, according to records.

Rush Health Systems said it has ramped up testing and that a higher percentage of people are testing positive.

Of 748 people tested in a two-day period, 80 tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesperson.

In Friday’s update, MSDH reported 250 cases and 25 deaths in Clarke County, 190 cases and 14 deaths in Kemper County, 1,071 cases and 81 deaths in Neshoba County and 408 cases and 11 deaths in Newton County.

Active outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities statewide have increased to 140, according to state data.

Records show 853 Mississippi patients are hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 infection and 223 patients are hospitalized with suspected infection.

As of Sunday, 25,932 Mississippi residents were presumed recovered, MSDH said.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County

Totals of all reported COVID-19 cases for 2020, including those in long-term care (LTC) facilities.

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	401	21	44	11
Alcorn	136	2	1	1
Amite	131	3	13	2
Attala	405	24	89	19
Benton	67	0	1	0
Bolivar	524	18	42	6
Calhoun	202	5	23	4
Carroll	200	11	45	9
Chickasaw	337	19	35	11
Choctaw	82	4	0	0
Claiborne	328	12	43	9
Clarke	250	25	19	9
Clay	285	12	2	1
Coahoma	276	7	1	0
Copiah	713	18	30	3
Covington	487	5	3	0
Desoto	2220	20	23	5
Forrest	1162	45	96	29
Franklin	67	2	3	1
George	154	3	1	0
Greene	139	10	34	6
Grenada	678	14	52	8
Hancock	180	14	8	4
Harrison	1370	18	103	10
Hinds	3418	66	157	24
Holmes	639	43	98	20
Humphreys	192	10	18	6
Issaquena	12	1	0	0
Itawamba	177	8	34	7
Jackson	900	20	48	6
Jasper	307	6	1	0
Jefferson	142	3	3	0
Jefferson Davis	137	4	3	1
Jones	1302	52	159	35
Kemper	190	14	38	9
Lafayette	560	4	42	1
Lamar	702	8	3	2
Lauderdale	1024	83	203	54
Lawrence	225	2	0	0
Leake	675	20	3	0
Lee	728	23	67	15
Leflore	612	56	183	41
Lincoln	570	36	115	27
Lowndes	608	17	34	8
Madison	1657	43	143	20
Marion	381	12	16	2
Marshall	334	4	12	1
Monroe	506	42	122	35
Montgomery	209	3	0	0
Neshoba	1071	81	108	32
Newton	408	11	6	2
Noxubee	297	10	15	3
Oktibbeha	662	28	132	18
Panola	551	6	3	1
Pearl River	346	32	50	12
Perry	111	4	0	0
Pike	562	25	47	12
Pontotoc	448	6	3	1
Prentiss	155	6	24	3
Quitman	116	1	0	0
Rankin	1322	21	61	7
Scott	848	16	15	3
Sharkey	58	0	1	0
Simpson	495	4	3	0
Smith	273	12	52	8
Stone	94	2	2	1
Sunflower	614	11	1	0
Tallahatchie	260	4	3	1
Tate	447	16	28	9
Tippah	180	11	0	0
Tishomingo	142	1	2	0
Tunica	139	3	12	2
Union	307	11	20	8
Walthall	310	10	49	4
Warren	671	22	40	9
Washington	918	17	27	5
Wayne	606	20	53	8
Webster	142	11	52	10
Wilkinson	111	9	5	2
Winston	336	13	40	10
Yalobusha	231	9	35	7
Yazoo	597	7	20	2
Total	40,829	1,332	3,122	642

The numbers in this table are provisional. County case numbers and deaths may change as investigation finds new or additional information about residence.

–Mississippi State Department of Health