Mississippi sees daily COVID cases hit new record

Mississippi has set a new record for one-day COVID-19 cases, according to the Mississippi Department of Health. The state saw 5,023 new positive cases Thursday, increasing the state's total COVID-19 cases to 381,147. 

On Thursday, Governor Tate Reeves extended the state's emergency status to enable state resources to deal with the recent swell of infections. The order was expected to expire on Sunday, but will stay in place for the next 30 days.  "This extension will ease the process of marshaling additional resources for our response (that I described yesterday), allow our system of care to continue to transfer patients to hospitals where treatment is available, ensure expanded access to telemedicine, and will keep options open for use of the great men and women of the MS National Guard," Reeves said in a statement. "There will be no lockdowns and there will be no statewide mandates."