UPDATE: The Mississippi State Department of Health released a two-day update after press time, providing a bulk report from Wednesday and Thursday evening after technical problems prevented the release of information on MSDH's usual schedule. The agency reports 608 new cases of COVID-19 across the state, a roughly 300 average in line with the higher rolling average seen earlier in the week.

The data also show a concerning new uptick in hospitalizations. 486 Mississippians are hospitalized, with 172 in intensive care units across the state. With 13 newly reported fatalities, Mississippi's current COVID-19 totals stand at 19,091 infected patients with 881 deaths.

The “herculean” task of testing all long-term-care and nursing-home facility staff and residents has concluded, showing 676 positive cases, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said Thursday. In a press briefing, he noted that “many of the positive cases in residents presented with mild symptoms, not the severe symptoms of fever or shortness of breath as originally identified as the most common symptom of COVID-19.”

Still, Dobbs reported that infections in the state are increasing, including among young people who are out socializing in groups and then taking the virus home to their elders. “They're getting coronavirus, they're taking it back home, and either they live with their parents or they live with their grandparents—multigenerational housing—and transmitting it to the older folks,” Dobbs warned.

This week so far has continued a trend of increased COVID-19 cases in Mississippi. On Tuesday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 341 new cases with 10 deaths—one of those deaths from an earlier report—while Wednesday’s report showed 374 cases and 21 fatalities, four of which were from earlier reports.

The agency has yet to release new information on COVID-19 spread since Wednesday, citing “technical problems” preventing the release of data. This article will update with additional analysis when MSDH releases the delayed data.

At Wednesday’s briefing, Dobbs reported that Mississippi currently has 441 hospitalizations including 171 intensive-care patients, “which is the largest that we've seen in quite a while.” While these numbers do not meet the “acute stresses that we were watching closely a couple of weeks ago,” Dobbs expressed concern that despite hopes, the virus is not going away anytime soon.

Dobbs also emphasized that asymptomatic infection can still be contagious, even if it never becomes symptomatic. He mentioned a case in which a nine-person card game had one asymptomatic person present who then gave it to seven of eight others there.

“We need to pretend that any one that we encounter, even if we know him and even if we saw him last week could have coronavirus and take appropriate steps to be protected,” he said.

Meantime, Mississippi continues its reopening march. On Wednesday, Gov. Tate Reeves signed an executive order removing the curfew for bars and restaurants serving alcohol, and increasing maximum capacities for more businesses. Alcohol-serving establishments may now operate at normal hours “provided that they continue to do their best to reduce capacity to 50%,” Reeves said at his daily press briefing.

Gyms and fitness centers may now operate at 50% capacity, up from 25%. Reception halls may also operate at 50% if they follow similar distancing guidelines as restaurants. Arenas continue to be allowed to operate at a maximum of 25% capacity. The governor also signed an order mandating that all government agencies return to normal work hours by July 1, while following “as many safety precautions as humanly possible,” he says.

State reporter Nick Judin contributed to this report. Read the JFP’s coverage of COVID-19 at jacksonfreepress.com/covid19. Get more details on preventive measures here. Email state intern Julian Mills at [email protected].