Mississippi has the highest COVID positivity rate in U.S.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Mississippi has the highest rate of positive COVID-19 tests in the country, data over the past 14 days shows.

A comparison of the 50 states (plus Washington, D.C.) was done on COVIDExitStrategy.org.

The data, pulled from multiple sources, shows a 21.7% of positive cases in the Magnolia State in the past two weeks, which is the highest in the United States.

Just three states--New York, Vermont and Maine--appear to be trending in the right direction.

The data also puts Mississippi at the highest rate of ICU capacity filled, with 98% of ICU beds occupied in the state. Alabama and Georgia are the only other states with ICUs filled above 90%.

More than 55,000 cases of the virus have been reported by Mississippi State Department of Health since March. Nearly 3% of those who have contracted the virus have died, which is slightly lower than the national average.