COVID-19 infections in county climb by 76

Franklin County’s total number of coronavirus infections jumped by 76 during the past week — rising from 1,350 cases on Tuesday, Jan. 4 to 1,426 on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

This was the largest one-week rise since the illness began.

An additional fatality was added to Franklin County’s death toll, bringing the number to 33.

The Mississippi Department of Health reports 586,547 residents of the Magnolia State have been infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic almost two years ago.

Of that amount, 10,527 people have reportedly passed away due to complications of the illness.

With the rise of the highly-contagious Omicron variant, health officials are urging residents to take precautions in an effort to limit the spread of the virus.

Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi’s state health officer, advised frequent hand washing and wearing a mask indoors along with getting vaccinated or taking a booster shot.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said COVID-19 has demonstrated its difficulty to be predicted and he believes it isn’t over yet.

“What we do know is where we’re at now,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of cases, a lot of transmission. We know what we need to do to prevent the transmission. We just need to do it.”

In Franklin County, 3,888 residents – 50 percent of the population – have received at least one dose of the vaccination while 3,533 (46 percent) have received both doses and are considered to be fully vaccinated.

Statewide, 1,581,504 residents (52 percent) have been partially vaccinated against the illness and 1,409,575 (45 percent) are now considered to be fully vaccinated.

Franklin County Memorial Hospital in Meadville continues to administer COVID-19 shots and boosters on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Call 601-384-8264 to schedule an appointment for a shot or booster.