On Thursday, Mississippi reported its single-highest number of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases since early January as the Delta variant continues to rapidly spread.

“It’s sweeping over Mississippi like a tsunami,” Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Thursday. “We’ve seen a phenomenal increase in the number of cases.

“It’s continuing to increase without any real indication of leveling off or decreasing,” he said.

Mississippi State Department of Health officials reported Thursday that 3,164 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.

Thursday’s report was the highest single-day number of cases since January 9 and was the third-highest single-day number of new cases since the pandemic began.

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

The additional cases reported Thursday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 356,055.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 16 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 7,613.

Mississippi hospitals are quickly becoming filled again with COVID-19 patients, state records show.

Dobbs said Thursday that 1,147 people were hospitalized with the virus, approximately six times the levels of just 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 Wednesday morning, approximately 38% of all Mississippians have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccines available.

And approximately 33% 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 2,028 on Thursday, the highest level since January 15.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 1,728 with Thursday’s update. It was the highest level since January 29.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County