Mississippi State Department of Health officials announced on Friday the state now has six cases of novel coronavirus.

Five of the six cases were reported on Friday, marking an escalation of the virus in Mississippi that is expected to be a foreshadow of more cases to come.

Three of the cases involve patients over the age of 65, putting them among what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers a high-risk demographic.

The latest two cases, identified Friday afternoon, originate from Pearl River and Copiah counties. Both women are over 65 and have been hospitalized, according to the Health Department.

Three of the cases are in Forrest County: two men who traveled to Florida are self-isolating at home, and a 65-year-old woman has been hospitalized with the virus.

Another case involves a woman in LeFlore County. She is self-isolating at home.

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The state's Health Officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs and State Epidemiologist, Dr. Paul Byers at a Friday press conference said they were keeping some patient details confidential to protect their privacy.

Byers said the state is seeing a growing number of cases, but that is to be expected given the spread of the virus across the country.

"Obviously, it's very apparent that things are progressing and evolving very rapidly," he said. "That is not unexpected. We've really ramped up testing in response."

Two of the Forrest County residents had traveled recently with two to south Florida and the other to North Carolina. It is unclear if the Leflore County patient had traveled in recent days.

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Earlier in the week, the department said it was closely monitoring two North Mississippi residents who had "close contact" with a Shelby County, Tennessee, resident who tested positive for the virus.

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Increase in testing

As the number of tests increase, so do the number of cases.

The state has ramped up testing in the last 24 hours. The department reported it had conducted 42 tests by Thursday. On Friday, that number jumped to 90.

Dobbs said the state laboratory can conduct about 200 tests a day. He said the state was prepared for a surge in testing with more than 1,000 test kits on hand. More will be requested from the CDC if needed.

Dobbs said he has requested state hospitals postpone non-essential treatment to ensure the availability of hospital beds in the state if needed. He also advised residents who believe they might be sick not to visit an emergency room, but rather call ahead to allow the hospital or clinic to make arrangements.

Dobbs advised Mississippians to avoid gatherings of 250 people or more and to engage in "social distancing," or ways to avoid close contact with others.

All six Mississippi cases are considered presumptive positive, meaning the tests have yet to be confirmed by the CDC.

Byers said the department will follow CDC guidelines for possible school closures.

Contact Justin Vicory at 769-572-1418 or jvicory@gannett.com. Follow @justinvicory on Twitter.