With more than two weeks left to go, January has already shattered Mississippi’s record for the most new COVID-19 coronavirus cases in a single month with approximately 1 in 26 residents reportedly infected since New Year’s.

Mississippi broke more records for new COVID-19 coronavirus cases on Tuesday as the omicron variant explodes across the state.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Tuesday that 22,456 new coronavirus cases were found over the last four days that ended at 3 p.m. Monday.

Since January 1, 113,347 cases have been officially logged, though the number is likely much higher due to at-home tests typically not being reported to the state health department.

To put the rapid spread in perspective,  statistically, 1 in every 26 Mississippians has tested positive for the virus since the start of January.

The additional cases reported Tuesday bring the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 657,084.

Although health experts say the new omicron variant tends to require less hospital care than previous variants, the massive number of new cases in this wave is still causing hospitalizations to grow rapidly.

Through last Thursday, 1,365 patients were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19, the state health department reported. By comparison at the beginning of December, less than 200 COVID patients were hospitalized.

At their peak during last summer’s delta variant wave hospitalizations hit a high mark of 1,667 on August 19, 2021.

MSDH reported 17 new deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 10,642.

Through Tuesday, 49 percent of the total Mississippi population has been fully vaccinated. The number of fully vaccinated Mississippians remains below the U.S. average of 63 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 Tuesday to 6,869, another new record high.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose sharply to 6,492 with Tuesday’s update. It was another new all-time high.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County

Totals of all reported COVID-19 cases, including those in long-term care (LTC) facilities.

The numbers in this table are provisional. County case and deaths totals may change as investigation finds new or additional information.

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	5751	125	89	18
Alcorn	7790	121	131	20
Amite	2636	59	57	9
Attala	4020	90	190	36
Benton	1914	42	47	10
Bolivar	7787	155	240	33
Calhoun	3761	52	44	7
Carroll	2208	42	52	11
Chickasaw	4423	79	61	15
Choctaw	1629	27	13	0
Claiborne	1846	41	46	9
Clarke	3513	96	132	32
Clay	4283	78	41	5
Coahoma	5538	115	138	14
Copiah	5911	96	109	15
Covington	6049	98	157	39
De Soto	42397	463	130	27
Forrest	17551	267	307	61
Franklin	1567	34	46	5
George	6037	80	75	9
Greene	2588	50	63	6
Grenada	4676	113	157	32
Hancock	9740	141	133	22
Harrison	42914	575	575	81
Hinds	45953	668	857	140
Holmes	3765	94	117	20
Humphreys	1718	39	35	9
Issaquena	215	7	0	0
Itawamba	5908	115	136	24
Jackson	31040	398	316	41
Jasper	4038	66	46	2
Jefferson	1249	35	41	7
Jefferson Davis	2446	43	14	1
Jones	17287	250	279	45
Kemper	1784	42	50	10
Lafayette	11980	149	202	57
Lamar	13981	142	62	12
Lauderdale	15455	325	499	108
Lawrence	2902	44	27	2
Leake	5171	92	102	17
Lee	22323	255	224	43
Leflore	6669	145	250	56
Lincoln	6689	139	210	41
Lowndes	14272	202	306	69
Madison	20261	289	416	72
Marion	5602	120	168	24
Marshall	8351	150	69	17
Monroe	9009	185	191	55
Montgomery	2553	60	66	11
Neshoba	8421	211	232	61
Newton	4725	85	89	15
Noxubee	2336	46	42	6
Oktibbeha	8909	141	272	40
Panola	8862	141	103	15
Pearl River	12026	247	227	42
Perry	2521	57	30	9
Pike	7586	160	178	44
Pontotoc	8487	118	88	13
Prentiss	6502	89	101	15
Quitman	1381	28	0	0
Rankin	29759	419	500	69
Scott	5726	101	119	19
Sharkey	770	21	45	8
Simpson	5744	120	167	20
Smith	3291	57	77	8
Stone	4409	67	95	14
Sunflower	5223	111	129	21
Tallahatchie	2741	53	50	7
Tate	5981	123	80	19
Tippah	5922	89	121	14
Tishomingo	4787	99	103	28
Tunica	2225	41	20	3
Union	7891	101	133	23
Walthall	2841	70	69	14
Warren	8715	182	175	38
Washington	8821	171	213	41
Wayne	4886	73	81	13
Webster	2597	51	66	14
Wilkinson	1635	40	25	6
Winston	4093	95	135	39
Yalobusha	3266	48	83	22
Yazoo	6855	94	152	20
Total	657,084	10,642	11,716	2,119