New cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus found in Mississippi dipped slightly Thursday as the state released the latest statistics, but remain at high levels.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Thursday that 2,594 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.

The additional cases reported Thursday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 471,092, meaning that nearly 16 percent of all Mississippians have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. Statistics indicate that 1 in every 327 Mississippians have contracted the virus.

MSDH reported 65 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 9,165.

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, 42 percent of the total Mississippi population has been fully vaccinated, nearly the worst in the nation and well below the U.S. average of 54 percent.

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 dropped to 1,810 on Thursday.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 1,970 with Thursday’s update.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County