Is omicron or delta the dominant COVID strain in MS? Maps, charts show drastic shift
Top Mississippi health experts warned omicron was coming.
The highly-contagious new COVID variant was spreading quickly in larger cities across the US and making its way down South.
At first, omicron cases trickled in slowly here, with the first case reported Dec. 6 by the Mississippi State Department of Health.
Three weeks later, omicron became the dominant COVID strain in Mississippi, surpassing delta as thousands of new cases were reported by the health department after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
These charts from MSDH, along with visualizations with data from the Centers for Disease Control, show omicron’s drastic takeover in Mississippi and other states in the Southeast, including Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Top doctors in Mississippi are also concerned that the omicron spread will get worse as students return to school after winter break.
The charts also show COVID testing increases and hospitalizations in Mississippi since November.
The data shows an uptick in testing in late December and January as omicron spread in Mississippi.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 10:55 AM.
