Mississippi continued to log thousands more new COVID-19 coronavirus cases on Friday, but the weekly average number dipped ever so slightly from the most recent skyward trend.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Friday that 7,509 new coronavirus cases were found in the 24-hour period that ended at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Since January 1, 137,645 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 22 Mississippians has tested positive for the virus since the start of January.

The new cases reported Friday bring the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 681,382.

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 Wednesday, 1,495 patients were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19, the state health department reported. At the peak during last summer’s delta variant wave hospitalizations hit a high mark of 1,667 on August 19, 2021.

MSDH reported 14 new deaths on Friday, bringing the total death toll to 10,721.

Through Thursday, 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 dipped slightly Friday to 6,679.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 6,774 with Friday’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	5922	125	89	18
Alcorn	8266	123	131	20
Amite	2724	59	57	9
Attala	4122	91	192	36
Benton	1954	43	47	10
Bolivar	7974	157	241	33
Calhoun	3973	52	44	7
Carroll	2297	42	52	11
Chickasaw	4664	80	61	15
Choctaw	1714	27	13	0
Claiborne	1937	42	46	9
Clarke	3654	96	132	32
Clay	4439	80	41	5
Coahoma	5648	116	138	14
Copiah	6076	96	109	15
Covington	6330	98	158	39
De Soto	43813	474	131	27
Forrest	18343	268	323	61
Franklin	1666	34	47	5
George	6179	81	75	9
Greene	2665	50	71	6
Grenada	4834	113	155	32
Hancock	10062	141	140	22
Harrison	44093	578	612	81
Hinds	47341	682	860	140
Holmes	3881	94	117	20
Humphreys	1758	39	35	9
Issaquena	222	7	0	0
Itawamba	6201	115	136	24
Jackson	32118	398	334	41
Jasper	4186	66	46	2
Jefferson	1305	35	41	7
Jefferson Davis	2527	43	15	1
Jones	18117	251	293	45
Kemper	1893	42	50	10
Lafayette	12519	156	202	57
Lamar	14646	142	65	12
Lauderdale	16196	326	499	108
Lawrence	3014	45	28	2
Leake	5339	92	103	17
Lee	23198	255	224	43
Leflore	6785	145	260	56
Lincoln	6888	142	210	41
Lowndes	14797	203	306	69
Madison	21129	290	416	72
Marion	5908	122	171	24
Marshall	8563	150	69	17
Monroe	9302	187	192	55
Montgomery	2621	61	74	11
Neshoba	8885	211	232	61
Newton	4930	86	89	15
Noxubee	2409	46	42	6
Oktibbeha	9191	141	272	40
Panola	9143	141	103	15
Pearl River	12602	248	234	42
Perry	2635	57	41	9
Pike	7830	160	178	44
Pontotoc	8729	118	88	13
Prentiss	6865	89	101	15
Quitman	1399	28	0	0
Rankin	31081	422	503	69
Scott	5928	101	119	19
Sharkey	790	21	45	8
Simpson	5976	122	169	20
Smith	3472	57	78	8
Stone	4560	67	100	14
Sunflower	5308	111	129	21
Tallahatchie	2812	53	50	7
Tate	6191	126	80	19
Tippah	6098	89	120	14
Tishomingo	5080	99	103	28
Tunica	2265	41	20	3
Union	8174	104	133	23
Walthall	2959	70	69	14
Warren	9040	184	175	38
Washington	9123	171	213	41
Wayne	4985	73	82	13
Webster	2683	51	66	14
Wilkinson	1674	41	25	6
Winston	4280	96	135	39
Yalobusha	3436	49	83	22
Yazoo	7046	94	152	20
Total	681,382	10,721	11,880	2,119