After a judge ordered that the agency disclose names last week, the state health department published a list of 116 facilities with current outbreaks. This was considered one case among staff and residents. MSDH reports 1,718 resident cases and 1,003 employees cases. There are also 310 resident deaths in long term care facilities that have active outbreaks. 27 of the 116 facilities that have active outbreaks have had only one case among residents or staff, which is a significant number considering the rapid spread of the disease in residential settings. Thomas Dobbs, the State Health Officer, stated Wednesday that facilities that have implemented effective infection control can prevent or minimize the spread of the virus. He also said that it is possible to keep the virus from spreading to residents and staff in residential facilities. He said that he has seen instances where one person (a positive test) was found in a facility that had excellent protocols for infection prevention. It stopped there. “That’s what we have to think about going forward. We can’t test out the problem, but it is an important tool. But when combined with good infection prevention, we can do a great job.” This list comes amid a dramatic increase in cases in Mississippi over the past two weeks. The number of new cases has slowed in May but has quickly reversed. This is worrying for state officials, especially when it comes to the goal to flatten the curve and not overload the health care system. Dobbs pointed out Wednesday that new cases are becoming more diverse by age. Over the past two weeks, new cases have been driven by younger people – between 18 and 29-years-old, majority of cases are now being handled by them. Their caseload has grown by 57 percent in two weeks.