Leflore County has recorded its 94th death from COVID-19.
The death was one of 56 statewide reported Tuesday by the Mississippi State Department of Health. Of that total, the Leflore County victim was one of 14 who died between Nov. 8 and Dec. 2 and whose death was later attributed to COVID-19 by coroners’ death certificate reports.
The individual was Black, but other information about the person was not immediately available.
African Americans have accounted for 75, or 80%, of the deaths from the coronavirus in Leflore County. The county’s estimated Black population is 75%.
Health experts have said the racially disproportionate impact of the virus reflects the large number of African Americans who have underlying health conditions — such as heart disease or diabetes — or who have less access to medical care. The same pattern has been occurring nationwide.
Meanwhile, the infection rates in Carroll and Leflore counties have moderated slightly but remain elevated.
For the week ending Sunday, Carroll County has averaged 9.19 new cases of COVID-19 daily per 10,000 residents, according to the most recent data tracked by the Harvard Global Health Institute and the Brown School of Public Health. That’s the 12th highest rate of Mississippi’s 82 counties.
Leflore County’s rate is 6.89, ranked No. 37. The state average is 6.31.
As of Tuesday morning, Greenwood Leflore Hospital was treating seven patients for COVID-19, according to Christine Hemphill, a hospital spokeswoman. Five were on ventilators to help them breathe.
Mississippi's COVID-19 cases and deaths as of Dec. 7, 2020
