Local health officials are warning citizens to use caution when gathering with family and friends over the holiday in hopes of limiting the reach of the Covid-19 virus, and especially the Omicron variant that is forcing some areas of the country to return to the stay-at-home orders and masks requirements seen during the height of the pandemic earlier this year.

In Panola County the spread of Covid has been minimal for several months and this week’s numbers are only up slightly  from a month ago.

As of Monday evening, the Mississippi State Department of Health reports that 6,917 county residents have been diagnosed with Covid since March 11, 2021, and there have been 138 local deaths.

The numbers of positive cases in Panola have only risen by 40 in the past two weeks and 66 in the past month. There have been three fatalities in the past 30 days here.

Statewide, the MSDH says there have been 524,629 confirmed cases of the virus among Mississippi citizens, resulting in 10,387 deaths.

The state reports that 51 percent of Mississippi residents have received one dose of Covid vaccine, and 44 percent are fully vaccinated.

Panola County’s vaccination rate almost matches the statewide figures with 49 percent having a first dose and 44 percent, or 15,071 people, fully vaccinated.