Mississippi’s record-breaking day compared to last year

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Mississippi shattered its record of new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day Wednesday.

It’s a point in the pandemic the state has never reached as Mississippi State Department of Health reported 6,592 new cases of the virus, 11 deaths, and 246 ongoing outbreaks at long-term care facilities.

This brings the total number of cases to 572,694 and 10,503 deaths.

The state says 67 percent of new infections are due to the Omicron variant and the demand for testing is putting a strain on the state’s supply of tests.

Officials are urging people to continue to wear a mask at work and in public settings, get vaccinated, or get a booster shot if they’re eligible.

One thing that has not surged alongside case counts is hospitalizations.

As of January 3, 149 people across the state are in intensive care units compared to 105 people the week before.

It’s a very different picture compared to this time last year before variants and vaccines emerged.

MSDH reported a much lower daily case count of 1,767, but deaths were significantly higher, at 91.

A total of 225,444 people had contracted the original, vicious strain of COVID that had claimed 4,975 deaths since the pandemic began.

One thing that is exactly the same is the message from state health leaders on how to drive down new COVID cases numbers and slow the spread of any strain of the virus.

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