More than 1,300 new COVID cases reported in MS, the most since January, as variant grows
Mississippi on Friday saw the biggest surge in new COVID-19 cases — 1,317 — since the end of January when cases started to decrease after vaccine availability hit an all time high.
South Mississippi had 181 new cases, another triple digit increase in COVID cases in the six southernmost counties this week, the Mississippi Department of Public Health reported.
Statewide, Mississippi has 331,180 cases and 7,502 deaths, the health department reported.
The spike in COVID cases come after a warning from State Health Office Dr. Thomas Dobbs that people can either get a vaccine or end up with the highly contagious Delta variant that has hit the state and nation hard in recent weeks.
Dobbs is among the medical professionals statewide ensuring residents that vaccines are safe and effective.
Vaccines are available throughout Mississippi, and residents 12 and older are eligible for the shots.
Mississippi continues to have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, with just over 34% of the population fully vaccinated.
To date, 2,116,329 people have been vaccinated statewide.
No new deaths were reported in South Mississippi counties Friday.
South Mississippi’s new COVID 19 cases are listed below:
- George County: 18 new cases
- Hancock County: 23 new cases
- Harrison County: 107 new cases
- Jackson County: 109 new cases
- Pearl River County: 26 new cases
- Stone County: 11 new cases
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 10:38 AM.
