COVID-19 transmission levels are low across the entire state of Mississippi, and most of the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of all 3,218 counties nationwide, only 119 (3.7 percent) have a high transmission level, as of Thanksgiving Day, the most recent available data. More than 2,500 counties (77.94 percent) had low transmission levels, and 591 (18.37 percent) had medium transmission levels.

Deaths from COVID-19 have substantially decreased in recent months nationwide. This is likely due to high levels of population immunity, either through vaccination or prior infection, according to CDC, as well as improvement in early treatment for patients at risk for severe disease.

As of Nov. 9, 2022, there were 1,070,947 deaths related to COVID-19 reported in the U.S. In the first two years of the pandemic, COVID-19 was identified as the third leading cause of death in the U.S., following only heart disease and cancer. Provisional mortality data indicate that, despite a lower number of COVID-19 related deaths reported to-date in 2022, it remains the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

“Every life lost to COVID-19 is a tragedy and should be a reminder to continue taking precautions to prevent further serious illness and death,” the CDC cautions. “As the virus continues to spread and change over time, everyone should continue to take steps to protect themselves and others.”

In Mississippi, 1,375 new cases of the virus were reported in the week ending Nov. 21, as well as 17 deaths. Thanksgiving week data has not yet been released by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

As of Nov. 21, there were 938,189 total cases of COVID-19 reported for the state and 13,034 total related deaths.