Health officials are urging Mississippians to limit Thanksgiving gatherings as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations near record numbers ahead of the busy holiday. “Please keep Thanksgiving small, local and outdoors,” State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs tweeted on Sunday along with a chart that showed hospitalizations nearing unprecedented rates.

The rise in COVID-19 cases in Mississippi — a surge only topped by the record spread in July and August — has persisted for nearly two straight months. On Saturday, the state health department reported a single-day record of 1,972 new cases. The seven-day rolling average reached 1,294 over the weekend, which is the highest mark since July 31.

READ MORE: The latest COVID-19 Mississippi trends with daily case, death and hospitalization updates.

The state health department also reported close to 900 total hospitalizations for people with the virus. That mark is at its highest point since Aug. 26. Health officials on Friday warned the public about managing spread in the cold months and during the holiday season.

“The number of critically ill patients we have in the hospital typically runs higher this time of year,” Timothy Moore, president of the Mississippi Hospital Association, said on Friday.

Moore noted that cases have risen after each major holiday weekend so far during the pandemic, most recently during Halloween.

“When you put an increase of COVID patients on top of that, then we’ve just exacerbated the problem moving forward,” he said.

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‘Keep Thanksgiving small’: COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations near records as holidays approach

by Alex Rozier, Mississippi Today
November 23, 2020

<h1>‘Keep Thanksgiving small’: COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations near records as holidays approach</h1> <p class="byline">by Alex Rozier, Mississippi Today <br />November 23, 2020</p> <p>Health officials are urging Mississippians to limit Thanksgiving gatherings as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations near record numbers ahead of the busy holiday.</p> <p>"Please keep Thanksgiving small, local and outdoors," State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs tweeted on Sunday along with <a href="https://twitter.com/TCBPubHealth/status/1330514925656084481?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a chart that showed hospitalizations nearing unprecedented rates.</a></p> <p class="x_MsoNormal">The rise in COVID-19 cases in Mississippi — a surge only topped by the record spread in July and August — has persisted for nearly two straight months. On Saturday, the state health department reported a single-day record of 1,972 new cases. The seven-day rolling average reached 1,294 over the weekend, which is the highest mark since July 31.</p> <p><strong>READ MORE:</strong> <a href="https://mississippitoday.org/2020/11/23/covid-19-data/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The latest COVID-19 Mississippi trends with daily case, death and hospitalization updates.</a></p> <p class="x_MsoNormal">The state health department also reported close to 900 total hospitalizations for people with the virus. That mark is at its highest point since Aug. 26. Health officials on Friday warned the public about managing spread in the cold months and during the holiday season.</p> <p class="x_MsoNormal">“The number of critically ill patients we have in the hospital typically runs higher this time of year,” Timothy Moore, president of the Mississippi Hospital Association, said on Friday.</p> <p class="x_MsoNormal">Moore noted that cases have risen after each major holiday weekend so far during the pandemic, most recently during Halloween.</p> <p class="x_MsoNormal">“When you put an increase of COVID patients on top of that, then we’ve just exacerbated the problem moving forward," he said.</p> <div id="viz1606157697114" class="tableauPlaceholder"><a href='https://mississippitoday.org/2020/04/27/covid-19-data/'><img alt=' ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/CO/COVID-19-Numberofdailynewcasesovertime/Dashboard12/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a> </div> <p> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1606157697114'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth &gt; 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='800px';vizElement.style.height='627px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth &gt; 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='800px';vizElement.style.height='627px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='694px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://mississippitoday.org/2020/11/23/keep-thanksgiving-small-covid-19-cases-hospitalizations-near-records-as-holidays-approach/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://mississippitoday.org">Mississippi Today</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://mississippitoday.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=883055&ga=UA-75003810-1" style="max-width:200px"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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