AP Photo/Rogelio V. SolisMississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs responds to a question during a news briefing regarding Mississippi's COVID-19 response in Jackson Aug. 19. 

As Mississippi continues to grapple with a surge of COVID-19 infections, more and more residents are seeking out the protection afforded by vaccines.

Data from Mississippi State Dept. of Health Tuesday show 46 percent of Lauderdale County residents have received at least one vaccine shot, and 38 percent are fully vaccinated. That is a 1 percent increase over the previous Tuesday’s report.

Vaccinations also appear to be rising statewide. Tuesday’s data show 39 percent of Mississippians statewide have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, which also reflects a 1 percent increase over the prior week. The state, however, continues to lag behind the national vaccination rate, which stands at 52 percent.

Although more Mississippians are getting vaccinated, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to stay near peak levels. In a Facebook post Tuesday, Anderson Regional Medical Center reported 44 patients were hospitalized with coronavirus, 91 percent of whom were not vaccinated. Of those, 19 were in the ICU and 19 were on ventilators.

Statewide, MSDH reported 1543 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection in Mississippi hospitals on Tuesday. Of those, 470 were in ICUs and 348 were on ventilators. A further 40 patients were hospitalized with suspected COVID-19 infection.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said Wednesday new COVID infections and hospitalizations remain near peak levels. Mississippi recorded 85,770 cases in August, he said, which is higher than the previous record of 63,137. That total, he said, will continue to grow as MSDH receives more August data through the coming days.

“Certainly we’re in September now, but cases that had onsets in August will still be reported. So, we anticipate that number is going to increase,” he said.

Health officials continue to urge Mississippians to get vaccinated and seek treatment early if infected. The state is offering free monoclonal antibody treatment for infected residents at more than 170 locations throughout the state.

Chief Medical Officer of Anderson Regional Health System Dr. Keith Everett said in a statement Friday the hospital system has treated more than 1000 people with monoclonal antibodies since it began offering the treatment last year.

“We are seeing a very high demand for the monoclonal antibody infusion. We have given this treatment to over 1000 people since we first began offering it last year,” Everett said. “The state department of health has deployed two paramedics to work alongside our staff members at the infusion center at Anderson- South, enabling us to expand our hours and treat more patients each day. This treatment is making a real difference in decreasing the number of COVID-positive patients who have to be hospitalized.”

Everett said he hoped the FDA’s recent approval of the Pfizer vaccine would help alleviate residents’ fears of the COVID vaccines and encourage them to learn more about the shots.

“We have realized a substantial increase in vaccine acceptance over the last three weeks. The variant and its consequences have become real to a number of people. However, over 90% of our hospitalized COVID-19 patients remain unvaccinated,” he said. “I hope the people who have not been vaccinated will research the data and discuss their thoughts with their physician rather than believe the myths or rumors surrounding the vaccines.”

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs on Wednesday urged those who have already had COVID to get vaccinated as well. The vaccine, he said, adds additional protection on top of natural antibodies and reduces reinfection.

“I do want to reiterate, we still strongly recommend that people, even if you’ve had COVID, go ahead and get vaccinated,” he said. “We know that it will greatly augment your immunity, and it decreases the risk of reinfection by half. So, there are great benefits to getting vaccinated even if you’ve had COVID before.”

Dobbs said residents need to understand cases are still high, and preventative measures such as masking, social distancing and vaccination are still needed to slow the spread.

“We can’t let our guard down,” he said.

For more information about COVID-19, vaccinations or monoclonal antibodies, visit mdsh.ms.gov or call Mississippi’s COVID-19 hotline at 877-978-6453.