One virus case seen locally in past week

As of the week ending Saturday, March 13, only one new case of COVID-19 had been reported in Franklin County.

Total cases recorded locally since the beginning of the pandemic stood at 1,923, with the previous week’s total being 1,922.

Statistics show coronavirus hit its peak during January with 516 cases reported in Franklin County — about 27 percent of all infections reported since March, 2020.

The most cases in the history of the pandemic were seen during the week ending Saturday, Jan. 15 when a record 152 confirmed illnesses were listed locally.

In February, the infection rate slowed to 170 total cases and thus far in March only three have been identified.

Additionally, no new deaths have been reported, leaving the cumulative number of fatalities among county residents at 38.

Twenty of those individuals were identified as Black or African American while the remaining 18 were Caucasian.

In all, Mississippi has seen 792,950 cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic that started two years ago.

Of that number, 12,275 residents have died due to complications from the illness.

As the number of cases has seen a decline statewide over the past month, the Mississippi Department of Health announced it would be reporting less COVID-19 data on a daily basis.

“We are moving to a broader and sustainable surveillance system and data reports,” Dr. Paul Byers, state epidemiologist, said of the transition.

The agency will continue to provide totals of newly reported COVID-19 cases and related deaths along with current hospitalizations due to the illness and the number of outbreaks reported in long-term care facilities Monday through Friday.

On a weekly basis, the health department will give updates on county cases, deaths and vaccinations plus will provide data for deaths by age group along with COVID-19 testing activity.

In addition, the agency will post weekly COVID-19 updates on its social media platforms.

On a monthly basis, MDH will give updates of the overall deaths by cause and on pediatric MIS-C cases.

The agency will no longer report weekly lab testing numbers; COVID-19 associated deaths by underlying condition; some redundant demographic charts of sex, race and ethnicity; cumulative cases and deaths by county; two-week incidence maps, tables and rankings; hospital bed availability interactive map; and estimated recoveries by week.