Lincoln County has experienced a new COVID-related death and 60 new positive test results over the past four days.

On Wednesday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 3,329 cases and 97 deaths for the county. To date, 283,753 cases and 6,367 deaths have been reported for the state.

As of Tuesday, 27.29 million cases and 471,167 deaths had been reported nationwide.

 

Across the country

California has recorded both the highest case and death counts of all U.S. states, including the District of Columbia — 3.45 million cases and 45,400 deaths, as of Tuesday. As the most-populated state, with more than 39.74 million residents, 8.6% of the state’s population have had the coronavirus and 1.3% of those have died as a result.

Vermont has reported the least number of cases and deaths for a state — 13,164 cases and 191 deaths. Vermont also is the second-least populated state, with 572,381 residents. Approximately 2.3% have contracted COVID and 1.45% of those have died as a result.

Mississippi was the 33^rd-highest in cases and deaths, and has the 35^th-largest population with 2.96 million residents. Less than 10% of residents have gotten the virus — 9.6% — and 2.24% of these have died.

Of all states and U.S. possessions, American Samoa has reported the least numbers of all, with just four cases and no reported virus-related fatalities.

 

Do masks work?

According to research presented by the Mayo Clinic, face masks do help slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that cases COVID-19. They work best when wearers also frequently wash their hands and practice physical distancing.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the wearing of fabric masks by the general public and reserving N95/KN95 masks for health care providers, due to persistent mask shortages. An N95 mask is a type of respirator, filtering out large and small particles, and is more effective than disposable surgical masks. Cloth masks are somewhat more effective than surgical masks, as well, according to the CDC. The CDC does not recommend using face shields that do not extend below the chin and around the sides of the face since it is unclear how much protection shields provide.