The number of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases continued to inch down Wednesday, state health department officials reported.

Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Wednesday that 6,596 new coronavirus cases were found in the 24-hour period that ended at 3 p.m. Monday.

Since January 1, 161,861 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 18 Mississippians has tested positive for the virus since the start of January.

The new cases reported Wednesday bring the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 705,598.

Although health experts say the 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 Monday, 1,447 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 19 new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 10,774.

Through Tuesday, 50 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 dropped Wednesday to 5,722.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dipped 6,330 with Wednesday’s update.

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	6089	125	90	18
Alcorn	8739	123	131	20
Amite	2822	59	57	9
Attala	4234	91	193	36
Benton	2009	43	47	10
Bolivar	8270	157	248	33
Calhoun	4143	52	44	7
Carroll	2355	43	52	11
Chickasaw	4886	80	62	15
Choctaw	1780	27	13	0
Claiborne	1988	42	46	9
Clarke	3761	96	132	32
Clay	4565	80	41	5
Coahoma	5834	116	138	14
Copiah	6201	97	109	15
Covington	6502	98	164	39
De Soto	45151	479	131	27
Forrest	19149	268	349	61
Franklin	1721	34	47	5
George	6532	81	75	9
Greene	2772	50	72	6
Grenada	4986	113	155	32
Hancock	10415	141	141	22
Harrison	45720	582	627	82
Hinds	48521	689	861	140
Holmes	4040	95	117	20
Humphreys	1810	39	35	9
Issaquena	236	7	0	0
Itawamba	6545	115	135	24
Jackson	33259	398	384	41
Jasper	4314	66	46	2
Jefferson	1344	35	41	7
Jefferson Davis	2582	43	16	1
Jones	18973	251	303	45
Kemper	1985	42	50	10
Lafayette	13265	158	202	57
Lamar	15320	142	66	12
Lauderdale	16799	326	499	108
Lawrence	3140	45	28	2
Leake	5520	93	103	17
Lee	24140	257	225	43
Leflore	6911	145	263	56
Lincoln	7096	142	210	41
Lowndes	15402	208	306	69
Madison	21687	290	416	72
Marion	6252	124	171	24
Marshall	8781	154	69	17
Monroe	9587	187	192	55
Montgomery	2716	62	82	13
Neshoba	9290	211	232	61
Newton	5120	86	89	15
Noxubee	2506	46	42	6
Oktibbeha	9502	143	272	40
Panola	9402	142	103	15
Pearl River	13369	248	242	42
Perry	2714	57	41	9
Pike	8021	161	178	44
Pontotoc	8949	119	88	13
Prentiss	7195	89	101	15
Quitman	1456	28	0	0
Rankin	32216	423	503	69
Scott	6092	103	119	19
Sharkey	840	21	45	8
Simpson	6127	124	171	20
Smith	3579	57	79	8
Stone	4773	67	100	14
Sunflower	5415	111	130	21
Tallahatchie	2879	54	50	7
Tate	6367	127	80	19
Tippah	6232	90	120	14
Tishomingo	5335	99	103	28
Tunica	2310	41	20	3
Union	8467	106	133	23
Walthall	3071	70	69	14
Warren	9253	184	175	38
Washington	9271	171	218	41
Wayne	5094	73	83	13
Webster	2753	51	66	14
Wilkinson	1695	41	25	6
Winston	4445	96	135	39
Yalobusha	3613	50	84	22
Yazoo	7398	95	152	20
Total	705,598	10,774	12,032	2,122