As Mississippi’s prepare to gather for Thanksgiving get-togethers, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported Wednesday that the COVID-19 coronavirus is still spreading in Mississippi, as the latest weekly average of new cases rose again.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Wednesday that 432 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.

The additional cases reported Wednesday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 512,632.

Statistics indicate that approximately 1 in every 290 Mississippians has died from the virus.

MSDH reported nine new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 10,262.

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, 47 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 59 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 rose to 384 on Wednesday.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 347 with Wednesday’s update.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County