Mississippi’s average number of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases continues to rise sharply Monday more than doubling in two weeks, reaching levels last seen approximately four months ago.

Mississippi’s 14-day average of daily new cases rose to 265 cases Monday, a 111-percent increase from the same period, two weeks ago.

Mississippi State Department of Health officials say the majority of cases that resulted in hospitalizations and deaths have one common thread – the patients are unvaccinated against the virus.

Mississippi State Department of Health officials reported Monday that 796 new cases were found over the weekend.

The additional cases reported Monday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 324,853.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported two new deaths on Monday, bringing the total death toll to 7,441.

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs urged Mississippians in a social media post to get vaccinated, ask their doctors about any concerns they have and for vaccinated Mississippians to tell their friends and help encourage them to get vaccinated.

The problem, Dobbs wrote, is that 95 percent of all recent new cases and deaths are in unvaccinated residents and 90 percent of all deaths are in unvaccinated people as well. In addition, Dobbs wrote, the more quickly spreading Delta variant of the virus is surging in parts of Mississippi.

Through Friday morning, approximately 34% of all Mississippians have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccines available.

And approximately 31% of Mississippi’s population are fully vaccinated, the state reported. Statistically, Mississippi’s total population of unvaccinated residents is either at or near the lowest of any state in the country, depending upon which source is tracking it.

For more detailed county-by-county vaccination results visit: https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/12130.pdf

The 7-day, daily average of new cases rose to 381 on Monday, an increase of more than 250 percent over the prior week, but Fourth of July holiday reporting delays artificially inflates that number.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases increased to 265 with Monday’s update, a 111-percent increase over the same statistic two weeks ago.The last time the 14-day average was higher was in late March as the state was coming off the peak in January.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County