Mississippi seeing slight uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations

(The Center Square) – As vaccinations and booster shots remain available, the state’s Department of Health said it is seeing an upward trend in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The department said the trend is a concerning development, though there is no shortage of hospital beds. It urges residents to take precautionary measures in order to avoid contracting the virus.

Mississippi's upward trend in COVID-19 hospitalizations continues. This is a concerning development, and emphasizes the need for protective steps, especially vaccination, over the coming weeks. Take time to get your free vaccination or booster now: https://t.co/eb4eldCbZI pic.twitter.com/wUvkpogIyg— MS Dept of Health (@msdh) November 30, 2021

In its November monthly COVID-19 report, the department said 91% of cases reported between Nov. 2-29 featured individuals who were either not vaccinated or partially vaccinated. Nine percent of cases occurred in people who were fully vaccinated.

Among hospitalizations, 80% of the cases were reported from individuals who were not vaccinated or partially vaccinated, while 20% were vaccinated.

According to the report on Nov. 29, 201 patients were hospitalized with confirmed infections and 58 of those patients were in an Intensive Care Unit. Of the patients in an ICU, 35 patients were on ventilators, and an additional 23 patients were hospitalized with a suspected infection.

On Nov. 2, the report lists 158 patients with confirmed infections hospitalized, 61 were in an ICU, 33 were on ventilators, and 22 more were hospitalized with a suspected infection.

The state currently has 5,624 medical-surgical beds total in the state and 201 of those beds have confirmed COVID-19 patients, according to the report. There are currently 999 beds available, and 844 adult ICU beds, with 58 adult COVID-19 patients in an ICU with 139 additional beds available.

Seventy-seven percent of those who died from COVID-19 were not vaccinated or partially vaccinated and 23% were fully vaccinated.

As of Tuesday, there were 549 new COVID-19 cases in the state and 21 new deaths, pushing the state’s total to 10,285 since the beginning of the pandemic. Currently, there are 38 cases in long-term health care facilities.

The department reported that 3,218,787 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the state, and 1,606,862 have received at least one dose, with 1,409,865 fully vaccinated. An additional 269,628 have received a booster shot.

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