Mississippi continued to be engulfed in new COVID-19 coronavirus cases Wednesday as state health statistics indicate the omicron variant continues to explode across the state with new cases and deaths piling up.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Wednesday that 8,460 new coronavirus cases were found in the 24-hour period that ended at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Since January 1, 121,807 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,  statistically, 1 in every 24 Mississippians has tested positive for the virus since the start of January.

The additional cases reported Wednesday bring the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 657,084.

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 Monday, 1,423 patients were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19, the state health department reported. At the peak during last summer’s delta variant wave hospitalizations hit a high mark of 1,667 on August 19, 2021.

MSDH reported 48 new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 10,690.

Through Wednesday, 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 Wednesday to 6,939, another new record high.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose sharply to 6,632 with Wednesday’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	5798	125	89	18
Alcorn	7972	122	131	20
Amite	2673	59	57	9
Attala	4054	91	190	36
Benton	1925	42	47	10
Bolivar	7880	157	240	33
Calhoun	3845	52	44	7
Carroll	2242	42	52	11
Chickasaw	4533	79	61	15
Choctaw	1667	27	13	0
Claiborne	1871	42	46	9
Clarke	3564	96	132	32
Clay	4370	78	41	5
Coahoma	5575	116	138	14
Copiah	5964	96	109	15
Covington	6147	98	157	39
De Soto	42900	473	130	27
Forrest	17773	268	307	61
Franklin	1606	34	46	5
George	6100	80	75	9
Greene	2613	50	69	6
Grenada	4735	113	157	32
Hancock	9815	141	140	22
Harrison	43432	576	575	81
Hinds	46338	679	858	140
Holmes	3791	94	117	20
Humphreys	1730	39	35	9
Issaquena	218	7	0	0
Itawamba	6063	115	136	24
Jackson	31446	398	323	41
Jasper	4080	66	46	2
Jefferson	1265	35	41	7
Jefferson Davis	2480	43	14	1
Jones	17499	251	280	45
Kemper	1823	42	50	10
Lafayette	12172	152	202	57
Lamar	14201	142	62	12
Lauderdale	15732	326	499	108
Lawrence	2928	44	27	2
Leake	5244	92	102	17
Lee	22721	255	224	43
Leflore	6700	145	260	56
Lincoln	6754	141	210	41
Lowndes	14509	203	306	69
Madison	20476	289	416	72
Marion	5709	122	170	24
Marshall	8419	150	69	17
Monroe	9108	186	192	55
Montgomery	2587	61	66	11
Neshoba	8575	211	232	61
Newton	4798	86	89	15
Noxubee	2355	46	42	6
Oktibbeha	8996	141	272	40
Panola	8968	141	103	15
Pearl River	12244	248	227	42
Perry	2547	57	31	9
Pike	7648	160	178	44
Pontotoc	8583	118	88	13
Prentiss	6653	89	101	15
Quitman	1389	28	0	0
Rankin	30112	419	502	69
Scott	5804	101	119	19
Sharkey	777	21	45	8
Simpson	5831	121	167	20
Smith	3357	57	77	8
Stone	4461	67	95	14
Sunflower	5236	111	129	21
Tallahatchie	2772	53	50	7
Tate	6047	125	80	19
Tippah	5991	89	121	14
Tishomingo	4889	99	103	28
Tunica	2241	41	20	3
Union	7985	101	133	23
Walthall	2889	70	69	14
Warren	8825	184	175	38
Washington	8959	171	213	41
Wayne	4904	73	82	13
Webster	2630	51	66	14
Wilkinson	1656	40	25	6
Winston	4148	95	135	39
Yalobusha	3330	48	83	22
Yazoo	6897	94	152	20
Total	665,544	10,690	11,755	2,119