The Delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to rage across Mississippi, the state health leaders reported Wednesday with now approximately one-third of hospitalized cases in people under the age of 40, most unvaccinated.

Mississippi State Department of Health officials reported Wednesday that 2,821 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours. Wednesday’s report was the highest single-day number of new cases since early January when Mississippi was at the worst of the pandemic.

“We are seeing that the Delta variant is driving up cases, hospitalizations and deaths,”  Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said in a recorded video update.

Dobbs said the number of hospitalized Mississippians under the age of 40 is dramatically increasing.

“We are seeing about a third of hospitalizations are in that age group,” he said. “These are people who are very seriously ill, in the ICU, on life support and sadly many of these folks may not make it out of the hospital.”

Dobbs said 97 percent of all new cases are in unvaccinated people.

The additional cases reported Wednesday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 352,891.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported seven new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 7,597.

Mississippi hospitals are quickly becoming filled again with COVID-19 patients, state records show. Through Monday, more than 1,000 people were hospitalized with the virus, more than five times the levels of just one month ago.

State statistics show through Monday that 284 ICU beds are filled with COVID-19 patients, more than three times as many as one month ago.

Mississippi health leaders have said that a combination of a low overall vaccination rate among Mississippians along with a rapidly spreading Delta variant is causing the recent surge in cases.

Through Monday morning, approximately 38% of all Mississippians have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccines available.

And approximately 32% of Mississippi’s population are fully vaccinated, the state reported.

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 jumped to 1,848 on Wednesday, the highest level since January 22.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 1,588 with Wednesday’s update. It was the highest level since February 1.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County