Mississippi reported nearly 4,000 new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus Thursday halting a trend of declining weekly averages from the days prior.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Thursday that 3,850 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.

The additional cases reported Thursday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 443,511, meaning that 14.9 percent of all Mississippians have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.

MSDH reported 17 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 8,507.

Mississippi health leaders have said that a combination of a low overall vaccination rate among Mississippians along with a rapidly spreading Delta variant is causing the recent surge in cases.

Through Wednesday, only 39 percent of the total population has been fully vaccinated, nearly the worst in the nation and well below the U.S. average of 52 percent.

For more detailed county-by-county vaccination results visit: https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/12130.pdf

The 7-day, daily average of new cases rose to 2,806 on Thursday. Aside from a weekend blip, the 7-day, daily average had been declining over the past two weeks.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 3,003 with Thursday’s update.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County