JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Health reported 1,646 new cases of coronavirus and 40 deaths on Monday, after a five-day delay in posting figures online.
The numbers represent new cases and deaths that occurred in the state between Wednesday and Sunday. Two of the 40 reported deaths happened between May 25 and June 7 and were identified from death certificate reports, officials said.
Mississippi’s total number of COVID-19 cases since March 11 now stands at 22,287, with 978 deaths. There are 485 Mississippians hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 infection. Mississippi has a population of about 3 million.
Monday’s delay is not the first time officials have been slow to post daily coronavirus numbers in Mississippi. Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs has apologized repeatedly in recent weeks for delays, citing the state’s outdated software system.
In a Facebook post Monday, Department officials again blamed the software for the most recent reporting delays.
“We appreciate the importance of detailed data reporting, and we are working to resume timely, accurate and detailed reports as soon as possible,” the post reads.
The delays come as other Southern states including Florida and Texas have reported a spike in coronavirus infections in recent days. Cases in Florida surpassed 100,000 on Monday.
The Mississippi Health Department marked its own significant rise in cases last Wednesday, when it reported 489 more infections and 23 more deaths than it had the day before — one of the largest single-day increases since the start of the pandemic in March. The deaths happened between May 23 and June 11, but had not been counted previously because of delayed death certificates.
On Twitter, Gov. Tate Reeves described the jump as “a large number by any measure.”
“I’m concerned that people are losing interest in the effort to keep each other safe,” Reeves wrote Wednesday. “We are all tired and ready to be done, but the virus doesn’t care. Please be on your guard.”
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