The number of Mississippians hospitalized with the COVID-19 coronavirus has risen more than 60 percent since December began, state statistics released on Monday indicated.

The hospitalization statistics came on the heels of a report released earlier Monday showing more than 7,000 new cases of the virus had been detected since Wednesday. The high number of new cases drove up the weekly averages of new cases to levels not seen since September as Mississippi was coming down from the record highs as the delta variant ran through Mississippi in July and August.

Through Sunday, the Mississippi State Department of Health records showed a total of 326 patients were hospitalized in the state with complications from the coronavirus.

That compares to the 201 patients in hospital beds on December 1.

In the past state health officials have warned that traditionally high numbers of cases statistically result in higher numbers of hospitalizations usually a week or two after the patients first become ill, therefore it’s unlikely that many of the more than 7,000 new cases were hospitalized by Sunday, but some of those patients may be headed to a hospital bed soon if the past trend stays.

Of the hospitalized coronavirus patients Sunday, 89 were in ICU beds and 47 required mechanical ventilation. That’s compared to 56 ICU patients on December 1 and 31 on ventilators.

Although across the state, health department stats showed late Monday more than 100 available ICU beds, some pockets of the state were already tight.

The state’s largest hospital, the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, showed no ICU beds available, as did Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson. Combined, the other major hospitals in the Jackson area only showed a total of eight ICU beds available through Sunday.