Source: Mississippi State Department of Health

Gov. Tate Reeves urged Mississippians to be cautious and look out for their loved ones during the Thanksgiving holiday.

“There is much more COVID-19 around us,” he said at a Tuesday press conference. “There is much more in our communities, and therefore there is a greater risk that you may unknowingly pass the virus to someone that you love dearly.”

Reeves said that Mississippi is in the middle of its second surge, but it has not yet returned to the height of the pandemic in late July. He said the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases was 1,392 in late July, and the seven-day average was just under 1,300 cases on Monday.

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, who also spoke at the press conference, said there will be a tiered distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. In the current scenario, vaccines will first be distributed to health care workers and first responders, and then they will be given to high-risk people, including long-term care facility residents, he said. They will then be distributed to the general population.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported on Wednesday 1,092 new cases of COVID-19 in the state and 16 additional deaths, bringing the state’s totals to 144,636 cases and 3,745 deaths.

The department reported five new cases of COVID-19 in Lauderdale County and one additional death that occurred between November 2 and 24. 3,355 cases and 144 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in the county since March.

MSDH reported nine new cases in Newton County, which has had a total of 1,036 cases since March. No new deaths were reported; the county has had 29 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Kemper County, ten new cases were reported; 419 cases have been reported since March. One new death was reported in the county, which occurred on November 12. 18 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in the county since March.

Clarke County reported three new cases, bringing the case total to 888. No new deaths were reported; the county has had 53 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Neshoba County, 13 new cases were reported; the county’s case total is 2,177. No new deaths were reported; 115 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported since March.

The Department of Health presumes 121,637 people have recovered from COVID-19. The department also reported that there are 158 ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term-care facilities.

On Nov. 16, Mayor Percy Bland extended the City of Meridian’s mask mandate until the end of the year.

Lauderdale and Neshoba counties are on a list of 41 counties with additional COVID-19 safety measures. In these counties, people must wear a mask when they are indoors and interacting with the public, but cannot social distance.

Indoor social gatherings in the counties must be limited to 10 people, and outdoor social gatherings must be limited to 50.

COVID-19 data for Mississippi counties

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	1379	49	64	14
Alcorn	1463	27	88	13
Amite	518	14	15	2
Attala	1098	33	112	22
Benton	487	17	44	9
Bolivar	2401	84	222	30
Calhoun	729	13	25	4
Carroll	706	14	45	9
Chickasaw	1041	32	48	14
Choctaw	311	7	1	0
Claiborne	576	16	43	9
Clarke	888	53	93	27
Clay	871	27	20	3
Coahoma	1487	43	126	11
Copiah	1595	40	71	9
Covington	1197	37	69	16
De Soto	9731	99	103	20
Forrest	3713	86	177	41
Franklin	326	5	4	1
George	1223	24	47	6
Greene	584	22	40	6
Grenada	1377	45	115	21
Hancock	1159	39	62	10
Harrison	6898	109	331	37
Hinds	9668	197	523	82
Holmes	1265	61	102	20
Humphreys	529	18	33	7
Issaquena	112	4	0	0
Itawamba	1482	34	89	17
Jackson	6178	119	118	15
Jasper	812	22	1	0
Jefferson	342	11	13	3
Jefferson Davis	550	17	9	1
Jones	3467	88	188	38
Kemper	419	18	41	9
Lafayette	3175	49	133	29
Lamar	2834	49	43	12
Lauderdale	3355	144	323	77
Lawrence	703	14	26	2
Leake	1319	43	42	7
Lee	4876	95	196	39
Leflore	2014	90	196	48
Lincoln	1868	65	166	36
Lowndes	2297	63	115	33
Madison	4666	106	290	53
Marion	1116	46	95	15
Marshall	2096	50	58	15
Monroe	1914	77	175	52
Montgomery	721	25	53	9
Neshoba	2177	115	156	41
Newton	1036	29	44	10
Noxubee	697	17	21	4
Oktibbeha	2408	61	193	31
Panola	2158	49	59	10
Pearl River	1465	67	100	23
Perry	654	26	20	7
Pike	1606	58	98	27
Pontotoc	1961	28	19	2
Prentiss	1412	30	88	9
Quitman	481	6	0	0
Rankin	5319	100	214	29
Scott	1507	29	30	3
Sharkey	307	17	43	8
Simpson	1451	53	138	19
Smith	696	16	55	8
Stone	731	14	58	9
Sunflower	1905	55	84	15
Tallahatchie	963	27	31	7
Tate	1654	51	71	18
Tippah	1230	30	61	4
Tishomingo	1065	42	96	26
Tunica	596	19	15	2
Union	1639	25	46	11
Walthall	753	28	67	13
Warren	1726	57	125	26
Washington	3122	107	186	39
Wayne	1162	23	59	10
Webster	421	14	52	11
Wilkinson	387	22	20	5
Winston	1191	24	62	11
Yalobusha	700	27	80	18
Yazoo	1520	39	137	15
Total	145,636	3,745	7,521	1,424