As the United States experiences another surge in COVID-19 coronavirus cases, the Golden Triangle area is seeing increases as well, with at least 215 new cases having been reported in a week, more than half of which are in Lowndes County.
As of Wednesday, the last day for which Mississippi State Department of Health had data as of press time today, Lowndes County had 1,941 total confirmed cases of COVID-19, a 113-case increase from 1,828 on Oct. 28. Cases also increased by 57 in Oktibbeha County, from 2,060 last week to 2,117 cases as of Wednesday.
In Clay and Noxubee counties, the numbers of COVID-19 cases are smaller, but still increasing. In Clay County, there are 748 confirmed cases, up from 715 cases on Oct. 28. In Noxubee County, there are 615, up from 603 a week prior.
The school districts are also seeing increases. Lowndes County School District reported 27 new cases for the week of Oct. 26-30, triple the increase of only nine new cases it reported the week of Oct. 23, according to information posted to the district’s website. Administrators update the number of cases every Monday at https://www.lowndes.k12.ms.us/, Superintendent Sam Allison told The Dispatch.
Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District reported seven new cases in the district for the same week, according to its website. SOCSD administrators likewise update the number of their district’s cases weekly at https://www.starkvillesd.com/covid19/numbers/index.
Columbus Municipal School District has had four new cases between Oct. 27 and today, according to numbers Superintendent Cherie Labat provided The Dispatch this morning.
West Point Consolidated School District Superintendent Burnell McDonald did not report exact numbers to The Dispatch by press time but said administrators report the district’s numbers to MSDH weekly. According to MSDH’s website, the district saw at least four new cases — and possibly as high as 20 — at least three of which were among staff. When schools report fewer than five confirmed COVID-19 cases in a week, MSDH lists the number as between one and five.
Last week, McDonald told The Dispatch the district has seen a net total of 42 positive cases among students and staff since the district switched from an all-virtual learning environment to giving students a choice between that and a hybrid learning environment on Sept. 21.
In Noxubee County School District, Superintendent Rodriguez Broadnax reported there are only three cases in the district.
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science reported between one and five new cases to MSDH.
Annunciation Catholic School in Columbus also reported between one and five new cases, while Starkville Christian School, Millcreek of Golden Triangle in Columbus, Oak Hill Academy in West Point and Magnolia Christian School in Noxubee County all reported no new cases among students or staff, according to MSDH’s website. No other private schools in the area are listed as reporting to MSDH.
The United States saw a record number of more than 116,000 new cases on Thursday, pushing the total number of US cases to almost 9.6 million total.
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