The spread of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Mississippi remained relatively stable Wednesday, state health officials reported.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Wednesday that 299 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours. While the number of cases is less than one-tenth the highs reached in August, the current case numbers remain approximately triple the lows of June.

The additional cases reported Wednesday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 507,775, meaning that 17 percent of all Mississippians have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.

Statistics indicate that approximately 1 in every 293 Mississippians has died from the virus.

MSDH reported four new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 10,182.

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, 46 percent of the total Mississippi population has been fully vaccinated. The number of fully vaccinated Mississippians has grown rapidly over the last several weeks but remains below the U.S. average of 58 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 slightly to 302 on Wednesday.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 294 with Wednesday’s update.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County