The Mississippi Department of Health is releasing weekly data on coronavirus infections in schools.
This data is variable because it’s self-reported and the number of schools that report varies from week to week. As of Jan. 15, data provided by MSDH shows a total of at least 8,296 teachers, students and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of school.
The number of total teachers, students, and staff to get sick hit its lowest point the week of Sept. 7-11 with 368 school-related infections. Since then, the total number infections in school has risen, though the number of schools that report in a given week varies.
Numbers appear to have peaked the week of Nov. 30 with 1,752 students, teachers and staff contracting COVID-19. There is no data from the last two weeks of December because schools were on holiday break.
Mississippi Today will provide this data as well as context about the rates per capita and change from week to week on this page.
For general COVID-19 Mississippi trends with daily case, death and hospitalization updates, as well as testing data charts and other helpful interactive maps and graphs, click here.