The coronavirus outbreak has officially reached Mississippi.
The Mississippi State Department of Health has reported its first presumptive positive case of COVID-19. Final verification will come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The MSDH stated that the individual is a man from Forrest county that recently traveled to Florida. After confirmation by the Mississippi State Department of Health’s Public Health Laboratory, the patient voluntarily isolated himself at home to prevent further transmission to others. The patient was not hospitalized.
The Mississippi State Department of Health is conducting further investigation to limit the spread of the virus from this case.
We’ll have more details on Mississippi’s hirst #coronavirus case following our press conference at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. Forrest County residents and all Mississippians are NOT considered at additional risk from this case, and should continue to practice basic protective hygiene.
— MS Dept of Health (@msdh) March 12, 2020
According to a news release, Governor Tate Reeves is fully aware of the situation and remains in close contact with the State Health Officer for all elements of COVID-19 response.
CDC statistics currently show 938 confirmed cases in the U.S. with 29 deaths.
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs will release additional information and guidelines to Mississippians at an 11:00 press conference tomorrow morning.
