“Be ready. January will be rough. We can mitigate if we restrain our holiday events, but likely to be extremely difficult regardless,” State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs tweeted on Dec. 17.

Patients at the University of Mississippi Medical Center are waiting in line for ICU beds to become available, as COVID-19 rates remain at record highs as this week draws to a close. The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting 2,507 new cases and 34 new deaths today after Wednesday’s and Thursday’s reports showed 2,343 cases with 42 fatalities and 2,261 cases with 26 new deaths, respectively. The rolling seven-day average is now 2,161.

The consistently high numbers mark a continuation into the third consecutive week of regular reports of over 2,000 daily cases, leaving hospitals and health-care workers at their limits. Hospitalizations remain high—critically so for intensive-care utilization.

The first tiered vaccine rollouts in the state have begun, with health-care workers receiving the first allotment of doses. “I'm day 4 post COVID vaccine - and feel great,” State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs tweeted on Dec. 17. “Healthcare workers on the front line need and deserve this protection. Please check with your Dr. first if you have severe allergies or history of anaphylaxis.”

COVID rates in long-term care facilities remain at a peak—235 reported today, in line with the highest levels of spread inside LTCs throughout the state. The outbreak tracker includes data from 211 nursing homes, 199 care homes and 72 intermediate care facilities serving developmentally disabled individuals. As of Tuesday, MSDH reported 156 nursing homes with active COVID-19 outbreaks—the majority of active exposures. LTC workers are slated to receive their first vaccine doses next week.

The latest weekly school data from Dec. 7-11 show 621 new infections among teachers and staff, with 1076 new student cases. Since the start of this school year, Mississippi schools have seen 4,385 infections among staff and 8,154 student infections, stemming from 375 separate outbreaks so far.

MSDH leadership has previously explained that not all infections detected in schools are necessarily acquired on campus, but that many are derived from extracurricular activities and after-school parties and events. “Kids attending social functions at 140% increased risk of COVID - placing families and vulnerable in harm's way,” Dobbs tweeted on Dec. 15.

The increasing rate of school exposures and closures is growing evidence that high levels of community spread endanger the ability for schools to operate amidst the pandemic.

Read the JFP’s coverage of COVID-19 at jacksonfreepress.com/covid19. Get more details on preventive measures here. Email contributing reporter Julian Mills at [email protected]. State reporter Nick Judin contributed to this story.