JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi reported one of its highest single-day increases in coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, after a few days of improving numbers.
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 1,081 new confirmed cases and 45 deaths on Wednesday, one of the top five single-day death tolls in the state since the start of the pandemic. The state reported 48 deaths on July 30, 52 deaths on July 31 and 51 on Aug. 5.
The increase comes after a few days of decreasing numbers of new cases and deaths, which Gov. Tate Reeves said made him feel cautiously optimistic. Before Wednesday, the state reported 644 new cases and 33 deaths on Tuesday, 476 cases and 16 deaths on Monday and 527 cases and 22 deaths on Sunday.
The governor has said not to get discouraged by numbers and that the new cases and deaths that Mississippians are seeing reported now represent individuals who were exposed weeks ago. In the last several weeks, he said he’s seen people taking the virus more seriously, something that gives him hope for the road ahead.
Reeves said Tuesday during a press briefing that Mississippi may be “starting to turn a corner” in the pandemic.
“Too often it is hard to see the progress that is being made with this global pandemic,” Reeves said. “Too often we focus only on that which scares us.”
Anecdotally, Reeves said he is seeing more people wearing masks, especially since he instituted a statewide mask mandate on Aug. 4.
“The trends will only continue if we do the right things,” he said. “We cannot rest easy and we cannot start to ignore the risks that are out there, but we can be hopeful and confident in our path forward.”
The Health Department said Wednesday that Mississippi, with a population of about 3 million, has had at least 69,374 reported cases and at least 1,989 deaths from COVID-19 as of Tuesday evening.
The true number of virus infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe or fatal illness.
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Leah Willingham is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
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