Jackson Free Press

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 173 new cases of COVID-19 as of 6 p.m. Friday and 11 more deaths on its website this morning.

Case totals are highest in Hinds County (234 cases), the site of capital city Jackson, and DeSoto County (163 cases), where many Memphis suburbanites live. However, death totals remain comparatively low in those counties, with both populous counties reporting two deaths each.

The overall Jackson metro area (Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties), comprising about a third of the state's population, has 427 cases reported and six deaths, or about 1.4% of cases.

The Gulf Coast of Mississippi, by comparison, is showing a higher percentage of deaths; Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties along the Gulf of Mexico have a combined total of 284 cases and 15 deaths, or about 5.3% of cases.

Lauderdale County (county seat: Meridian), reports 133 cases and the most deaths in a single county, eight, as well as the most long-term care facilities with infections, with four as of yesterday evening.

In Tippah county in north Mississippi, nearly 14% of its 43 reported cases have resulted in deaths.

Only one Mississippi county has yet to report a case: Issaquena county, just above Vicksburg and Warren County on the Mississippi River.

Read the JFP’s coverage of COVID-19 at jacksonfreepress.com/covid19. Get more details on preventive measures here. Read about announced closings and delays in Mississippi here. Read MEMA’s advice for a COVID-19 preparedness kit here.

Email information about closings and other vital related logistical details to [email protected].

Email state reporter Nick Judin, who is covering COVID-19 in Mississippi, at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @nickjudin. Seyma Bayram is covering the outbreak inside the capital city and in the criminal-justice system. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @seymabayram0.