Dobbs 

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs is advising Mississippians to keep their holiday gatherings small and primarily among their close family.

“Because we all want to be able spend future holidays with our loved ones and not have to worry about making folks sick,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday. “We will see deaths absolutely around holiday gatherings.”

Dobbs said that when people gather with their relatives during the holidays, they will eat food and may not wear masks. People of different age groups gather during the holidays, too.

“It’s a perfect storm for an explosive outbreak of coronavirus,” he said.

He noted that many COVID-19 cases are related to Halloween social events.

Dobbs said Mississippi continues to see increasing COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU use. He added that some hospitals have delayed non-urgent elective surgeries so they can make hospital rooms available.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said that COVID-19 is also having a greater impact on schools. During the week of November 9-13, 14,027 students were quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure, according to a Mississippi State Department of Health report. The department also reported 1,023 new COVID-19 positive students in schools that week.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported on Wednesday 1,593 new cases of COVID-19 statewide and 20 additional deaths, bringing the state’s totals to 137,396 cases and 3,601 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

Mississippi Today reported on Wednesday that the state’s seven-day new case average is 1,143, a 54% increase since the start of November.

In Lauderdale County, the department reported 36 new cases of COVID-19 and no additional deaths, bringing the county’s totals to 3,120 cases and 141 deaths.

In Newton County, nine new cases were reported; 989 cases have been reported since March. No new deaths were reported; the county has had 29 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Kemper County, 15 new cases were reported; 380 cases have been reported since March. No new deaths were reported; 15 deaths have been reported since March.

Clarke County reported four new cases, bringing the case total to 852. No new deaths were reported; the county has had 53 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Neshoba County, 24 new cases were reported, bringing the case total to 2,099. No new deaths were reported; 111 deaths have been reported since March.

The Department of Health presumes 116,683 people have recovered from COVID-19. The department also reported that there are 143 ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term-care facilities.

cases

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	1276	48	64	14
Alcorn	1375	23	88	10
Amite	462	14	15	2
Attala	1005	29	99	20
Benton	470	17	44	9
Bolivar	2294	83	222	30
Calhoun	694	13	25	4
Carroll	664	13	45	9
Chickasaw	986	32	47	14
Choctaw	280	7	1	0
Claiborne	568	16	43	9
Clarke	852	53	93	27
Clay	824	26	20	3
Coahoma	1421	40	126	11
Copiah	1538	39	72	9
Covington	1112	33	66	15
De Soto	9117	92	101	20
Forrest	3490	85	176	41
Franklin	297	4	4	1
George	1173	23	36	6
Greene	564	20	40	6
Grenada	1321	44	114	21
Hancock	1095	36	59	9
Harrison	6530	104	303	35
Hinds	9166	187	487	81
Holmes	1210	60	102	20
Humphreys	509	18	32	7
Issaquena	108	4	0	0
Itawamba	1396	33	89	17
Jackson	5830	111	113	12
Jasper	779	21	1	0
Jefferson	306	11	13	3
Jefferson Davis	520	16	8	1
Jones	3308	87	188	38
Kemper	380	15	41	9
Lafayette	2946	45	123	28
Lamar	2630	48	42	12
Lauderdale	3120	141	300	76
Lawrence	668	14	26	2
Leake	1271	43	42	7
Lee	4579	90	196	39
Leflore	1945	89	195	47
Lincoln	1735	64	162	36
Lowndes	2162	62	115	33
Madison	4402	99	250	46
Marion	1056	46	92	15
Marshall	1974	41	58	13
Monroe	1810	76	172	52
Montgomery	690	24	53	9
Neshoba	2099	111	141	39
Newton	989	29	40	10
Noxubee	665	17	21	4
Oktibbeha	2292	58	193	31
Panola	2004	46	59	9
Pearl River	1357	66	99	23
Perry	616	24	20	7
Pike	1556	58	98	27
Pontotoc	1841	26	19	2
Prentiss	1334	25	76	6
Quitman	459	6	0	0
Rankin	4954	93	184	24
Scott	1426	29	22	3
Sharkey	296	16	43	8
Simpson	1377	53	122	19
Smith	668	16	55	8
Stone	652	14	58	9
Sunflower	1817	54	84	15
Tallahatchie	926	27	29	7
Tate	1539	47	68	18
Tippah	1150	29	61	3
Tishomingo	1009	41	96	26
Tunica	585	19	15	2
Union	1508	25	46	11
Walthall	725	27	67	13
Warren	1670	56	125	26
Washington	2948	107	181	39
Wayne	1125	22	59	10
Webster	406	14	52	11
Wilkinson	364	22	20	5
Winston	1057	23	46	11
Yalobusha	646	26	80	18
Yazoo	1428	36	137	14
Total	137,396	3,601	7,219	1,386