Mississippi set another single-day record for new COVID-19 coronavirus cases on Friday, the third-straight day of a new record high as the omicron variant explodes across the state.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Friday that 9,300 new coronavirus cases were found in a 24-hour period that ended at 3 p.m. Thursday.

In the last two weeks, 90,891 cases have been officially logged, though the number is likely much higher due to at-home tests typically not being reported to the state health department.

To put the rapid spread in perspective,  in the last 14 days approximately 1 in every 33 Mississippians has tested positive for the virus. Cases found in the last two weeks now represent 14 percent of the total cases found since the pandemic began, nearly two years ago.

The additional cases reported Friday bring the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 634,628.

Although health experts say the new omicron variant tends to require less hospital care than previous variants, the massive number of new cases in this wave is still causing hospitalizations to grow rapidly.

Through Thursday, 1,365 patients were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19, the state health department reported. By comparison at the beginning of December less than 200 COVID patients were hospitalized.

At their peak during last summer’s delta variant wave hospitalizations hit a high mark of 1,667 on August 19, 2021.

MSDH reported 19 new deaths on Friday, bringing the total death toll to 10,625.

Through Friday, 49 percent of the total Mississippi population has been fully vaccinated. The number of fully vaccinated Mississippians remains below the U.S. average of 63 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 Friday to 6,869, another new record high.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose sharply to 6,492 with Friday’s update. It was another new all-time high.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County

Totals of all reported COVID-19 cases, including those in long-term care (LTC) facilities.

The numbers in this table are provisional. County case and deaths totals may change as investigation finds new or additional information.

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	5600	125	89	18
Alcorn	7469	120	131	20
Amite	2534	59	57	9
Attala	3939	90	190	36
Benton	1856	42	47	10
Bolivar	7590	155	240	33
Calhoun	3559	52	44	7
Carroll	2165	42	52	11
Chickasaw	4163	79	61	15
Choctaw	1583	27	12	0
Claiborne	1749	41	46	9
Clarke	3391	96	132	32
Clay	4126	78	41	5
Coahoma	5472	114	138	14
Copiah	5711	95	109	15
Covington	5766	98	157	39
De Soto	41451	463	130	27
Forrest	16865	*266	302	61
Franklin	1512	34	46	5
George	5772	80	73	9
Greene	2505	50	62	6
Grenada	4531	113	157	32
Hancock	9411	141	118	22
Harrison	41378	574	562	81
Hinds	44333	665	857	140
Holmes	3641	94	117	20
Humphreys	1688	39	35	9
Issaquena	202	7	0	0
Itawamba	5732	115	136	24
Jackson	29940	398	314	41
Jasper	3956	66	46	2
Jefferson	1213	35	41	7
Jefferson Davis	2316	43	14	1
Jones	16691	250	271	45
Kemper	1727	42	50	10
Lafayette	11520	149	202	57
Lamar	13445	*142	60	12
Lauderdale	14909	325	499	108
Lawrence	2790	44	27	2
Leake	5009	92	102	17
Lee	21493	255	224	43
Leflore	6544	145	250	56
Lincoln	6484	139	210	41
Lowndes	13611	201	306	69
Madison	19442	289	416	72
Marion	5363	119	166	24
Marshall	8128	150	69	17
Monroe	8652	185	191	55
Montgomery	2473	59	66	11
Neshoba	8107	211	232	61
Newton	4572	85	89	15
Noxubee	2239	45	42	6
Oktibbeha	8650	141	271	40
Panola	8605	141	103	15
Pearl River	11492	246	223	42
Perry	2425	57	30	9
Pike	7378	159	178	44
Pontotoc	8255	118	87	13
Prentiss	6234	89	101	15
Quitman	1346	28	0	0
Rankin	28534	418	500	69
Scott	5624	101	119	19
Sharkey	743	21	45	8
Simpson	5630	120	167	20
Smith	3183	56	77	8
Stone	4227	67	95	14
Sunflower	5118	111	128	21
Tallahatchie	2693	53	50	7
Tate	5839	122	80	19
Tippah	5776	89	121	14
Tishomingo	4543	99	103	28
Tunica	2162	41	20	3
Union	7628	101	133	23
Walthall	2701	70	69	14
Warren	8320	182	175	38
Washington	8614	171	213	41
Wayne	4811	73	81	13
Webster	2493	51	66	14
Wilkinson	1539	40	25	6
Winston	3969	95	135	39
Yalobusha	3125	48	83	22
Yazoo	6653	94	152	20
Total	634,628	10,625	11,658	2,119