August may have been the deadliest month of the COVID-19 pandemic for Warren County, but it also has proven to be a month of improvement.

Monday, the Mississippi State Department of Health announced just one new case in Warren County, bringing the total number reported in August to 368, a drop of nearly 30 percent from July’s 521 reported cases.

Sadly though, August saw 21 virus-related deaths, far more than any of the other months. August accounted for nearly 46 percent of all the deaths reported in Warren County. The first death was reported on April 6. The month with the most virus-related deaths prior to August was July when eight deaths were reported.

Overall, the state reported 274 new cases and 32 new virus-related deaths. Since the first case was reported in Mississippi on March 11, the state has reported 82,950 cases and 2,473 deaths. As of Aug. 23, the state reported 62,707 of those cases are now considered recovered.

In regards to Warren County, August also saw a number of key developments in the pandemic. The one-day record for new cases came on Aug. 8, when 56 new cases were reported. All of the county’s schools began in-person classes during August, with Porter’s Chapel Academy beginning on Aug. 10, followed by Vicksburg Catholic School and the Vicksburg Warren School District starting classes on Aug. 17.

In July, the county had a large spike in cases, which pushed it close to being declared a hot spot by state health officials. That spike appeared to peak on July 30 and 31. On Aug. 22, the county fell below the threshold for hot spot consideration for the first time since July 20.

Since the first case was confirmed in Warren County on March 29, Warren County has now reported 1,314 cases and 46 virus-related deaths.

In Monday’s report, Claiborne County is now reporting 440 cases and 16 deaths, while Yazoo County reports 954 cases and 21 deaths. Sharkey County reported 251 cases and eight deaths. Issaquena County, which was the last county in the state to report a positive case ended August with 97 cases and three deaths.