County’s Active COVID Case Count Is 19

WATER VALLEY – The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Yalobusha County has climbed to 151 on Monday, with 19 active cases. That’s up from 139 confirmed cases reported by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) on June 17.

Yalobusha County EMA Director Dalton Coleman noted that the number of new cases reported in the county in late June indicates that people in the county are remaining diligent to help minimize the spread of the virus, as much of the state including several surrounding counties are recording much larger spike.

“Our county is doing much better, when you look at the surrounding counties,” Coleman added, pointing to a single-day spike in Grenada County where the number of confirmed cases escalated from 290 to 355.  “I think canceling the Watermelon Carnival was the right thing to do. We would have had a lot of people here from surrounding counties where the numbers are skyrocketing, it could have really infiltrated our county just as the students were preparing to return to the classrooms,” Coleman added. 

As in previous weeks, Coleman continues to urge everyone to continue to take precautions including not touching your eyes, nose or mouth; washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; practicing social distancing; and wearing faces masks when you are in crowded spaces such as businesses. He also said many of the new cases have been reported in younger people, a statistic that could be attributed to work place exposure or more people taking vacations in June. 

Statistics

Coleman said that of the 19 actives cases in the county as of Monday, two are in the Water Valley area. Other active cases are scattered across the county, including the Coffeeville, Tillatoba and Oakland areas. Coleman said that almost 80 percent of the active cases will be cleared on Friday, but also cautioned that each day the number changes are new cases are added to the tally. 

MSDH tracks the number of active COVID-19 cases across Mississippi and provides the addresses to EMA directors in order for the information to be logged in the county’s dispatch center. This information is provided to emergency personnel including fire fighters, police and medical responders if they are dispatched to an address with an active case. 

Statewide there have been 26,567 cases confirmed, with 1,059 deaths linked to the virus. MSDH reported that 19,388 patients are presumed recovered as of June 29. This figure includes cases never hospitalized who have not tested positive for COVID-19 in 14 days or more. It also includes cases in which there was a known hospitalization, or hospitalization was unknown, and it has been 21 days or more since the case tested positive.

Coleman said the number of deaths in Yalobusha County remain at seven, all reported at a long-term care facility. Of the county’s 151 cases, 35 were reported at Yalobusha Nursing Home during an outbreak that started on May 10. There have been no new cases reported in residents at the nursing home since May 29 according to the nursing home COVID-19 hotline. 

More details about COVID-19 in Mississippi, along with preventive steps to take against the coronavirus, are available online at http://HealthyMS.com/covid-19. You can also call the Mississippi Coronavirus Hotline at 877-978-6453 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.