The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 1,561 new COVID-19 cases Monday and 947 Tuesday, adding 2,508 cases to bring the state’s total to 491,724 reported cases of the coronavirus. But numbers are not rising as quickly nor dramatically as they have in recent weeks.

A total of 103 new related deaths were reported by MSDH Monday and Tuesday — 42 Monday and 61 Tuesday — raising the state’s death toll ever higher to 9,749. Fourteen percent of the new deaths were in people who were fully vaccinated. Only 4% of the people who tested positive in newly-reported cases were fully vaccinated.

Lincoln County reported one new death Tuesday. Lawrence and Jefferson counties each also reported one new death Tuesday, and Pike County reported five.

Twenty-three new positive cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Lincoln County since Friday. The county’s new totals stand at 5,364 cases and 134 related deaths.

In Brookhaven, King’s Daughters Medical Center reported four COVID-positive patients in the intensive care unit and on ventilators as of Monday evening. One COVID-positive patient was not in ICU nor on a ventilator. All five were unvaccinated. Fifteen patients had been seen in the emergency room in the prior 24 hours with COVID-related issues.

In hospitalizations statewide, 89% of COVID patients were not vaccinated.

KDMC had administered eight monoclonal antibody infusions Oct. 1-4. The hospital administered 160 infusions in September, down significantly from the 587 administered throughout the month of August, and less than July’s 203 infusions.

Thirty-four percent of eligible people in Lincoln County have been vaccinated — 12,989 people (38%) have had at least one dose of a vaccine, according to MSDH data.

Only six of Mississippi’s 82 counties have reported more than 50% of their populations as fully vaccinated — Jefferson County, 59%; Yalobusha County, 58%; Madison County, 56%; Leflore County, 55%; Lamar County, 52%; and Bolivar County, 52%.

Statewide, residents age 40 and older have the highest percentage of people who are fully vaccinated — 50% in ages 40-59; 62% in ages 50-64; 77% in ages 65-74; and 73% of those age 75 and older. In groups from age 12 to 39, approximately one-third of each age range has been fully vaccinated — 29% in ages 12-15; 33% in ages 16-17; 32% of ages 18-24; and 35% of ages 25-39.

In public and private schools reporting data to MSDH for the 2021-2022 school year, 156 total COVID-positive teachers and staff were reported the week of Sept. 20-24, the final week of full data reported to-date; 794 schools reporting. In the same week, 1,084 students had tested positive. Since the beginning of school in August, 26,817 teachers, staff and students had tested positive for the virus.