Mississippi's COVID-19 state of emergency was extended until mid-November by the state’s top officials earlier this month even though reported cases of the virus are dropping.
The extension allows COVID-19 response across the state to continue. Gov. Tate Reeves’ office said there are no planned lockdowns or statewide mandates associated with the extension.
The Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) said in a statement new COVID-19 coronavirus cases continue to slowly fall. Tate County reported 41 cases and one virus-related death from Monday, Oct. 25 through Friday, Oct. 29.
Statistics from MSDH show nearly 17 percent of all Mississippians have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. Those numbers also indicate approximately one in every 298 Mississippians has died from the virus.
Mississippi, which has a population of around three million, surpassed 10,000 coronavirus-related deaths in mid-October. The state has the highest COVID-19 death rate ¬– 335 deaths per 100,000 people. The next highest states are New Jersey, Alabama, and Louisiana — with 311-313 each. The lowest death rates are in Vermont, 56 per 100,000, and Hawaii, with 62 deaths per 100,000.
Forty-six percent of the total state’s population has been fully vaccinated. The number of fully vaccinated Mississippians has grown rapidly over the last several weeks but remains below the U.S. average of 57 percent.
In Tate County, 42 percent of approximately 28,000 people have received the first dose of the vaccine, while 38 percent are fully vaccinated.