Mississippi reported 85 additional deaths of COVID-19 coronavirus patients Tuesday, making December an even deadlier month of the pandemic.

The high number of deaths reported on a single day was likely influenced by delayed reports late last week due to Christmas holiday closures.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 85 new deaths and another 1,943 new cases on Tuesday. The latest numbers bring the total cases since the pandemic began in March to 210,032. A total of 4,719 Mississippians have died from the virus, the state reported.

The average number of deaths reported per day during December is currently averaging 31.5, for a total of 913 deaths reported so far during the month, already the month with the highest number of reported COVID-19 deaths. Note: Some deaths reported on a given day or in a given month may have occurred earlier, but were delayed in reporting.

Approximately 56,672 new cases have been confirmed in December, 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)	56,672

Of the total cases, the state believes approximately 154,669 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.

The 7-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 1,763 with Tuesday’s update.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 1,909 on Tuesday.