City of distributes masks to muffle fourth wave of COVID-19

A Mississippi physician advocacy group is calling for the statewide mask mandate to be reinstated.

“With the lifting of the statewide mask mandate instituted on Aug. 4, the daily average of COVID-19 cases has increased at an alarming rate, overwhelming Mississippi’s hospital systems,” The Mississippi State Medical Association said in a news release this week.

“With the holiday season and winter weather approaching, we are certain that our state’s healthcare system cannot sustain the trajectory of the pandemic in its current state,” the news release said. “To combat the devastating effects of COVID-19, we must act immediately, and in the best interest of the health of all Mississippians, by reissuing a statewide mask mandate through the remainder of the year.”

Half of the state’s 82 counties, including Lauderdale and Neshoba, are under a mask mandate. 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.

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

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare delivery at every level,” Dr. Claude Brunson, the executive director of the MSMA, said in the news release. “Our state’s healthcare system cannot continue to bear the overwhelming strain of the outbreak at its current state.”

1,005 new cases

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported on Friday 1,005 new cases of COVID-19 and six additional deaths, bringing the state’s totals to 148,387 cases and 3,769 deaths.

The department reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 in Lauderdale County, bringing the county’s total to 3425 cases reported since March. No new COVID-19 related deaths were reported; 145 deaths have been reported in the county since March.

MSDH reported no new cases in Newton County, which has had a total of 1,042 cases since March. No new deaths were reported; the county has had 29 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Kemper County, four new cases were reported; 425 cases have been reported since March. No new deaths were reported in the county; 18 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported since March.

Clarke County reported two new cases, bringing the total to 893 cases. No new deaths were reported; the county has had 53 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Neshoba County, seven new cases were reported, bringing the county’s total to 2,196 cases. Since March, 118 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in the county.

The Department of Health presumes 121,637 people have recovered from COVID-19. The department also reported that there are 193 ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term-care facilities.

Case count

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	1411	50	64	14
Alcorn	1496	28	88	13
Amite	531	14	15	2
Attala	1122	34	118	23
Benton	491	17	44	9
Bolivar	2409	84	222	30
Calhoun	739	13	25	4
Carroll	721	15	45	9
Chickasaw	1071	32	48	14
Choctaw	323	7	1	0
Claiborne	583	16	43	9
Clarke	893	53	93	27
Clay	903	27	20	3
Coahoma	1501	43	126	11
Copiah	1630	40	71	9
Covington	1222	38	69	16
De Soto	9953	104	103	20
Forrest	3805	86	182	41
Franklin	336	5	4	1
George	1245	24	47	6
Greene	600	22	40	6
Grenada	1406	45	115	21
Hancock	1202	39	62	10
Harrison	7045	110	346	37
Hinds	9892	198	524	82
Holmes	1299	61	102	20
Humphreys	531	19	33	8
Issaquena	114	4	0	0
Itawamba	1515	34	89	17
Jackson	6270	119	123	15
Jasper	820	22	1	0
Jefferson	348	11	14	3
Jefferson Davis	565	17	8	1
Jones	3548	88	188	38
Kemper	425	18	41	9
Lafayette	3215	49	149	29
Lamar	2892	50	43	12
Lauderdale	3425	145	323	77
Lawrence	708	14	26	2
Leake	1335	43	42	7
Lee	5010	95	196	39
Leflore	2047	90	196	48
Lincoln	1887	65	166	36
Lowndes	2341	64	115	33
Madison	4734	106	291	53
Marion	1158	46	105	15
Marshall	2138	50	58	15
Monroe	1973	77	175	52
Montgomery	736	25	53	9
Neshoba	2196	118	156	43
Newton	1042	29	44	10
Noxubee	706	17	21	4
Oktibbeha	2443	62	193	31
Panola	2198	50	59	10
Pearl River	1508	67	103	23
Perry	661	26	20	7
Pike	1616	58	98	27
Pontotoc	1992	28	19	2
Prentiss	1442	30	88	9
Quitman	489	7	0	0
Rankin	5462	102	217	31
Scott	1521	29	30	3
Sharkey	309	17	43	8
Simpson	1467	53	138	19
Smith	705	16	55	8
Stone	761	14	58	9
Sunflower	1916	55	84	15
Tallahatchie	968	27	31	7
Tate	1680	51	71	18
Tippah	1245	30	61	4
Tishomingo	1089	42	96	26
Tunica	606	19	15	2
Union	1660	25	46	11
Walthall	763	28	67	13
Warren	1753	57	125	26
Washington	3161	107	186	39
Wayne	1172	23	59	10
Webster	434	14	52	11
Wilkinson	394	22	20	5
Winston	1216	24	62	11
Yalobusha	706	27	80	18
Yazoo	1542	39	137	15
Total	148,387	3,769	7,586	1,430