Mississippi reported an all-time high number of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases Wednesday as December’s record month keeps getting worse.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 3,023 new cases Wednesday, the highest single-day number of cases reported since the pandemic began in March bringing the total cases found in the state to 213,055.

Of the total cases, the state believes approximately 167,263 cases 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.

Mississippi reported 29 additional deaths of COVID-19 coronavirus patients Wednesday, making December an even deadlier month of the pandemic. A total of 4,747 Mississippians have died from the virus, the state reported. The state has reported 942 deaths in December.

Note: Some deaths reported on a given day or in a given month may have occurred earlier, but were delayed in reporting.

Approximately 59,785 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.

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Wednesday that the number of hospitalized patients is extremely high.

“We expect worse,” Dobbs wrote on social media.

Dobbs reported the state has 1,387 confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized through Wednesday morning with 208 of those patients on ventilators.

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)	59,785

The 7-day, daily average of new cases rose to 1,819 with Wednesday’s update.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 1,958 on Wednesday.