Mississippi’s weekly average of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases rose Friday to the highest level seen in more than a month, state officials reported.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Friday that 296 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.

The additional cases reported Friday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 515,504.

Statistics indicate that approximately 1 in every 290 Mississippians has died from the virus.

MSDH reported seven new deaths on Friday, bringing the total death toll to 10,296.

Through Friday, 47 percent of the total Mississippi population has been fully vaccinated. The number of fully vaccinated Mississippians has grown rapidly over the last several weeks but remains below the U.S. average of 59 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 410 on Friday. It was the highest weekly average number of new cases since November 1.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dropped slightly to 349 with Friday’s update.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County