Mississippi health officials reported more than 500 new COVID-19 coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours and the state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are also rising.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Tuesday that 549 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.

The additional cases reported Tuesday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 514,171.

The number of Mississippians hospitalized with the virus rose above 200 for the first time in weeks, a move health officials said was a “concerning development.”

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

MSDH reported 21 new deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 10,285.

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 Tuesday, 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 282 on Tuesday.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 318 with Tuesday’s update.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County