Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NATCHEZ — Adams County Coroner James Lee reported the COVID-19 death of an 85-year-old Adams County resident and the COVID-19 death of an 87-year-old Monterey, Louisiana, resident at Merit Health Natchez on Thursday.

The latest deaths come on the heels of an increase in local and national COVID-19 infection rates and as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays loom.

Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford Sr. said Adams County had 74 active cases Friday out of 1,155 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Adams County since the pandemic began in March with 1,035 of those recovered and 46 confirmed COVID-19 deaths.

“Continue to follow the local guidelines and CDC recommendations on family gatherings,” Bradford said he is advising local residents before the upcoming holidays. “Protect yourself and families by social distancing, wearing masks or face coverings, hand washing when out in public. We see our positivity rates remaining high due to complacency. Everyone doesn’t display symptoms of COVID-19. However, they can be a spreader. We want everyone to enjoy life and events with careful planning considerations.”

Local volunteer COVID-19 statistician Norma Williams said in a report filed Tuesday that Miss-Lou COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise.

Statistics provided by Williams show that Adams County’s 14-day average infection rate rose .2% from 7.3% to 7.5% between Oct. 14 and Oct. 21.

Likewise, Concordia Parish saw a 1.5% increase from 11.9% to 13.4% between Oct. 14 and Oct. 21.

Statewide during that period, however, the infection rate fell by 12.1% from 16.6% to 4.5% between Oct. 22 and Nov. 2, according to Williams’ report, which draws from the Mississippi State Department of Health, Louisiana Department of Health and Johns Hopkins University.

“Over the past seven days, Oct. 27 to Nov. 2, MSDH’s 6 p.m. reporting, Adams County had an additional 44 new cases bringing our total to 1,137 or 4% increase compared to the prior week’s (Oct. 20-26) 50 new cases,” Williams wrote Tuesday. “Please keep in mind we have seen many times in the past where our weekly new cases appear to go up and down like a roller coaster ride; therefore, we anticipate increases in cases in the future. However, by everyone wearing masks, practicing proper hygiene, social distancing, avoiding large crowds and if entertaining keep it outdoors, then each of these efforts will help reduce the spread and lower our numbers.”

As of Friday’s MSDH report, Adams County’s COVID-19 infection rate had risen to 1,155 with 46 COVID-19 deaths, not including the one Lee reported on Thursday, which will be added if it is confirmed by MSDH.

“As reported Sunday, on Oct. 30, we had 13 new cases in a single day, which was our only double digit new cases day this past week,” Williams wrote Tuesday.

Williams reports that according to Louisiana Department of Health as of Nov. 3, Concordia Parish had 23 new cases during the seven-day period between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 for a total of 633 cases with a 3.7% increase compared to the prior week’s Oct. 21-27 with 35 new cases.

Williams also reported Tuesday that Merit Health Natchez had four COVID-19 patients with none of them in ICU or on a ventilator as of Monday.