MSDH reporting over 5,700 new COVID-19 cases

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – The latest COVID Wave in Mississippi is beginning to look like a tsunami. The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting over 5,700 new cases today.

That brings the total of reported cases since Friday up to just over 22,000. To put that into perspective, that is about twice the population of the city of West Point.

20 more deaths were reported today, and just over 12,000 people are in hospitals statewide.

That has prompted the Department of Health to activate its COVID System of Care Plan until January 23rd.

It will allow the most critically ill patients to be transferred for care to avoid over-burdening hospitals.

It includes patients with critical emergency needs, such as heart attacks, strokes, trauma, and transplant patients with complications.

It allows Mississippi MED-COM to direct patients to available beds, and when no beds are available, to hospital destinations based on availability of resources.