Three weeks into December, the number of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases being found daily has more than doubled since the beginning of the month, state health statistics show.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Wednesday that 873 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.

That brings the 7-day average of new cases to 667 cases per day, up more than 130 percent since December 1.

The additional cases reported Wednesday brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 525,502.

Statistics indicate that approximately 1 in every 287 Mississippians has died from the virus.

MSDH reported six new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 10,393.

Through Wednesday, 48 percent of the total Mississippi population has been fully vaccinated. The number of fully vaccinated Mississippians remains below the U.S. average of 61 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 667 on Wednesday. It was the highest level since October. 10.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 541 with Wednesday’s update. It was the highest level since October 20.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County