Gov. Tate Reeves continued to highlight the state’s struggles to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and again pointed to the stress that hospital systems continue to experience.
The governor, though, stopped short of issuing a statewide mask order, a move that could reduce the chances of spreading the disease among individuals.
Meanwhile, the number of cases across the state continues to grow, as does the number of younger people contracting the virus. Ten people, between the ages of 18 and 29, have died as a result of the disease.
Reeves said that of the total 272 intensive care beds in the West Central Region, which includes mainly hospitals in Jackson and a few other areas, only two remain available. Statewide, more than 40 percent of all ICU patients are coronavirus cases, state leaders say.
“Today would be a really bad day to have a car wreck in Jackson. It would be a really bad day in Central Mississippi for something to go wrong. Oh, and by the way, it would be a really bad day to have COVID and have to go into the hospital,” Reeves said.
On July 22, 1,547 new cases of COVID were reported across the state, including 34 deaths.
The day marks the second in a row where more than 1,500 new cases of COVID have been reported across statewide. In Hinds County, 393 new cases were reported, bringing the total number to 3,952. Meanwhile, Madison County’s cases have grown to 1,852, with 152 deaths.
In all, more than 47,000 cases have been reported across the state, including 1,423 deaths.
“The spread of the virus is bad,” Reeves said. “When I look at total hospitalizations in our state, this is what we see. We’ve gone from approximately 490 patients in hospital beds across Mississippi to approximately 1,000. On July 1, we had 602 confirmed patients in hospital beds with COVID. Today, we’re at 942,” Reeves said. “That is a 55 percent increase in patients in the month of July.”
State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said the increases are coming, in part, because people continue to gather in large groups and are not taking the virus seriously.
"We do not need to be having mass gatherings," he said. "When we put a lot of people together in large groups, that's dangerous."
Reeves again urged residents to practice social distancing measures, avoid large groups and wear masks.
“Let’s wear masks. Let’s stay social distanced. Let’s not gather in large groups,” he said. “And most of all, let’s stay safe.”
Currently, 23 counties are under a mask mandate, meaning residents must wear face coverings in public.
