JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi health officials say the state is seeing its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in months as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread.
The state is also experiencing a sharp increase in the percentage of positive tests. The department says Monday that 3,608 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Mississippi from Friday through Sunday.
Mississippi heath official Dr. Thomas Dobbs posted about the concerning trend on Twitter Monday.
The increase in cases is happening as some schools are starting classes and as thousands of people are gathering for the Neshoba County Fair. The Mississippi Association of Educators is calling on Gov. Tate Reeves to set a mask mandate for schools.
Reeves said recently he will not be issuing any mask mandates and has announced Mississippi’s COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on Aug. 15. Most schools are set to begin the new school year in early to mid-August.