December has been the worst month of the COVID-19 pandemic for Warren County. Sunday, it crept closer to becoming the most deadly.

In addition to the 31 new cases reported by the Mississippi State Department of Health, state officials also announced two new deaths Sunday. So far in December, Warren County has reported 731 new cases and, sadly, 20 deaths.

December is just one virus-related death shy of tying August as the deadliest month of the pandemic with four reporting days remaining.

At this pace, Warren County could not only easily surpass 800 cases in the month but could come close to matching the total number of cases reported in the previous four months combined. There were 841 cases reported between Aug. 1 and Nov. 30.

This weeks-long surge in numbers correlates with the Thanksgiving holiday break, where health officials had urged people to not travel and to celebrate the holiday with close family. It appears that while some did follow those warnings, others did not, leading to increased case numbers.

On Thanksgiving Day, Warren County had a two-week average of just over seven cases per day. As of Sunday, almost a month exactly, Warren County is now reporting a two-week daily average of 26.5 cases per day — an increase of more than 300 percent.

Health officials are now worried about a surge on top of a surge brought about by the Christmas holiday break and another connected to New Year’s Day. If cases continue to increase at the rate they have, Warren County might not see lowering numbers until the end of January or later.