December became the second-deadliest month in Mississippi’s battle with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic since it began in March, and with 11 days remaining officials expect the death toll to continue to climb.

The state reported 19 new deaths Sunday. A total of 4,409 Mississippians have died from the virus, the state reported.

The average number of deaths reported per day during December is currently averaging 30.1, for a total of 602 so far during the month, making December second only to August when the state reported 813 deaths.

“As predicted – our mortality curve is rising rapidly,” Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs wrote on social media Sunday. “This is real, this is deadly. Please: keep it small (and outdoors) this holiday season.”

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 2,222 new cases on Sunday. The latest numbers bring the total cases since the pandemic began in March to 194,333.

Approximately 41,063 new cases have been confirmed in December, which is now the month with the highest number of new cases since the pandemic began in March. The high case load is an ominous sign for health care workers and hospital administrators already struggling with capacity problems.

Here’s a monthly new case breakdown:

Month	New cases
June	11,746
July	31,496
August	24,203
September	15,240
October	21,970
November	33,111
December (month to date)	41,063

Of the total cases, the state believes approximately 148,466 have recovered and while many people who are infected with the virus may only have moderate or even no visible symptoms, others can get gravely ill and can die as a result.

Through Friday’s statistics, the state reported 1,226 confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized with another 93 suspected, but not confirmed by test yet COVID patients also hospitalized. The state reported that across the state only 66 ICU beds were available, meaning that 93 percent of all ICU beds were filled. Of the ICU beds in use, more than one-third are filled with confirmed COVID-19 patients.

If December’s pace of new cases and deaths continues evenly through the remainder of the month, the state may see as many as 60,000 cases or more, nearly double any prior month, and as many as 900 deaths.

The 7-day, daily average of new cases rose to 2,127 with Sunday’s update.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 2,100 on Sunday.