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Mississippi closes field hospitals, reports baby COVID-19 death

It's the state's seventh child death of COVID since the start of the pandemic, and officials raised alarms about a string of deaths in unvaccinated pregnant women.
Credit: AP
Ventilators sit beside each of the five intensive care beds that are part of the 32-bed Samaritan's Purse Emergency Field Hospital set up in one of the University of Mississippi Medical Center's parking garages, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, in Jackson, Miss. The field hospital joins a 20-bed field hospital and monoclonal antibody clinic opened by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at UMMC in response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

JACKSON, Miss — Mississippi is closing its only remaining parking garage field hospital set up to treat coronavirus patients during the delta variant surge. 

The state is still relying on out-of-state workers to help increase ICU capacity in state hospitals. 

Health officials also reported the state's seventh child death of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and raised alarms about a string of deaths in unvaccinated pregnant women. 

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said eight pregnant women with coronavirus have died over the past four weeks. Officials said the state is seeing a small improvement in hospital bed availability, but ICU capacity continues to be very scarce.

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