The number of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Mississippi continues to slowly fall, the state reported Thursday.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Thursday that 422 new coronavirus cases were found over the last 24 hours.

The additional cases reported Thursday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 500,708, meaning that nearly 17 percent of all Mississippians have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.

Statistics indicate that approximately 1 in every 298 Mississippians has died from the virus.

MSDH reported nine new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 9,977.

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 Thursday, 46 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 57 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 dropped to 476 on Thursday.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 503 with Thursday’s update.

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	4586	119	88	18
Alcorn	5667	101	130	20
Amite	2051	55	57	9
Attala	3314	89	189	36
Benton	1487	38	47	10
Bolivar	6313	148	239	33
Calhoun	2793	46	44	7
Carroll	1688	38	52	11
Chickasaw	2996	67	61	15
Choctaw	1334	26	12	0
Claiborne	1324	37	46	9
Clarke	2924	94	133	32
Clay	3079	76	41	5
Coahoma	4159	104	138	13
Copiah	4485	92	104	14
Covington	4287	94	142	39
De Soto	32080	403	124	26
Forrest	13447	251	283	60
Franklin	1200	28	41	5
George	4967	79	73	9
Greene	2190	48	57	6
Grenada	3706	108	156	32
Hancock	7728	126	72	15
Harrison	34312	538	532	77
Hinds	31924	627	852	139
Holmes	2678	87	109	20
Humphreys	1292	38	35	9
Issaquena	193	7	0	0
Itawamba	4633	105	135	24
Jackson	24482	379	284	41
Jasper	3299	65	46	2
Jefferson	945	34	41	7
Jefferson Davis	1715	42	9	1
Jones	13838	242	237	43
Kemper	1419	41	50	10
Lafayette	8547	139	199	56
Lamar	10508	135	56	12
Lauderdale	11985	316	481	107
Lawrence	2124	40	27	2
Leake	4082	88	99	17
Lee	15530	235	225	43
Leflore	4657	144	240	55
Lincoln	5433	135	205	40
Lowndes	11030	188	280	66
Madison	14574	280	416	72
Marion	4225	108	162	24
Marshall	6462	134	69	17
Monroe	6769	176	191	55
Montgomery	1796	56	64	10
Neshoba	6635	206	228	60
Newton	3815	79	87	15
Noxubee	1866	40	41	6
Oktibbeha	7142	131	270	39
Panola	6520	131	103	15
Pearl River	9503	237	210	42
Perry	2053	56	24	9
Pike	5817	152	174	43
Pontotoc	6659	102	86	13
Prentiss	4668	81	101	15
Quitman	1064	28	0	0
Rankin	21983	390	492	69
Scott	4726	98	116	19
Sharkey	640	20	45	8
Simpson	4445	116	161	20
Smith	2638	50	72	8
Stone	3597	64	88	14
Sunflower	4237	105	124	20
Tallahatchie	2271	51	50	7
Tate	4584	110	80	19
Tippah	4690	81	120	14
Tishomingo	3596	92	103	28
Tunica	1594	39	19	3
Union	6024	94	132	23
Walthall	2187	63	69	14
Warren	6682	176	174	38
Washington	7422	157	203	41
Wayne	4397	72	80	13
Webster	2027	46	67	14
Wilkinson	1051	39	25	6
Winston	3142	91	131	39
Yalobusha	2337	47	82	22
Yazoo	4439	87	152	20
Total	500,708	9,977	11,282	2,089