As of Tuesday, there are no reported cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant in Warren County, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

However, state officials say the variant strain has a presence in Mississippi, and it’s growing. According to MSDH, the Delta variant is now the most dominant strain of coronavirus in the state. Nearby Hinds County is reporting 44 Delta variant cases — the most of any county in Mississippi.

Other counties reporting Delta variant cases include Madison and Rankin.

According to state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers, unvaccinated people are the most at-risk, and the COVID-19 vaccine is the best form of protection against the “most contagious” variant.

There is also a connection between unvaccinated Mississippians and recent COVID-19 deaths, according to state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. Out of the 11 coronavirus deaths reported to MSDH by Tuesday, 10 of those people were unvaccinated and one had been partially vaccinated.

“Ninety percent of our deaths are in unvaccinated [individuals], 96 percent of our cases are unvaccinated, 95 percent of our hospitalizations are unvaccinated,” Dobbs said in a Tuesday press conference. “The vaccinations are saving lives, they’re saving dollars and they’re saving people from having to go to the hospital.”

The majority of those who are unvaccinated, he said, are individuals in their 30s.

In addition to being the most contagious identified variant strain of coronavirus, the Delta variant has also been found to cause more severe disease.

For more information on coronavirus statistics, guidelines and vaccines in Mississippi, click here.