Jackson Free Press

Confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 1,455 today, with the Mississippi State Department of Health adding 97 more infected people to its official tally. It also added six more deaths since yesterday, bringing the total to 35, with the state health officer warning Friday that the state may see 1,000 fatalities due to the virus.

All of Mississippi’s 82 counties but four now have confirmed cases of COVID-19. Thirty counties now have long-term care facilities such as nursing homes with outbreaks of the virus, with three outbreaks in those facilities in Lauderdale County (county seat Meridian) alone.

Yesterday, Gov. Tate Reeves’ new executive order, declaring a statewide shelter-at-home, went into effect at 5 p.m. Under the order, in place at least until April 20, all Mississippians must stay at home unless leaving for necessities or to work in what he deemed “essential” businesses.

"Previous generations were called to world wars," Reeves said to open his press conference yesterday. "We are called to stay at home for a while."

Reeves drew criticism for not issuing a statewide stay-at-home order sooner, but he did an about-face on Wednesday as COVID-19 cases continue to dramatically rise in Mississippi. His original executive order defined numerous “essential” businesses that should stay open, while leaving some non-essential businesses, such as department store and malls, in a gray area. Some local authorities attempted to regulate them without conflicting with his order, leaving a confusing patchwork of safety regulations across the state.

Hinds County, the home of capital-city of Jackson, still leads the case tally with 140 and no deaths to date*; DeSoto County has 118 known infections and one death. Also in the Jackson metro area, Rankin County has 66 cases and one death, and Madison has 67 cases and two deaths.

Harrison County on the Gulf Coast, Tippah in north Mississippi and Wilkinson in southwest Mississippi have the most reported deaths through yesterday with three in each.

Thirty-one of the 35 deaths are of Mississippians age 60 or older.

To date, only 30% of the COVID-19 cases have been hospitalized, MSDH reports, and women account for 59% of the official cases to date.

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs warned at Reeves’ press conference Friday that the worst may be yet to come, predicting a “surge” and daily numbers of cases to continue to rise. He predicted that Mississippi could see 1,000 deaths, even with the current preventative shelter-in-place order in place. He said one model shows that the state could peak in cases around April 20th, but he cannot be certain.

Dobbs still refused to release the exact numbers of ventilators available statewide, saying the specifics could cause panic or be misinterpreted.

He held up a portable ventilator, though, saying the state now has 500 of them on hand.

MEMA Director Greg Michel said 75,000 more facemasks have arrived, along with more disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer as well. He is expecting more supplies to arrive as next week begins, even as delays and federal interference have plagued states’ abilities to get needed supplies from manufacturers or the federal government.

CORRECTION: This report originally said that Hinds County showed two deaths in the April 4 update, but it is showing no deaths to date.

Reporter Nick Judin contributed to this report. Email tips to [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @donnerkay.