Mississippi’s top public health doctor urged unvaccinated Mississippians Tuesday to get a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine before a faster spreading variant of the virus becomes dominant in the state.

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs gave statistics from the virus in a series of social media posts Tuesday.

Dobbs wrote that over the past month, 90 percent of COVID deaths in Mississippi were in unvaccinated people.

He said 96 percent of all cases were in unvaccinated people and that 95 percent of all COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization were also unvaccinated.

The state reported 11 new deaths were identified in the state tied to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

“Of the 11 deaths, 10 (were) unvaccinated, 1 partially vaccinated,” Dobbs wrote. “Age range 33 to 85. Three of the deaths were in their 30s.”

Dobbs said the good news is that vaccines could help prevent illness and death.

“COVID vaccines are saving lives and could save more!” he wrote.

A much more easy to spread variant, dubbed the Delta variant, has been being detected in increasing numbers across the state, Dobbs said.

“Delta variant rolling through Mississippi,” he wrote. “Fortunately vaccine works for this strain too.”