Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the State Health Officer, tweeted Sunday that “Please keep Thanksgiving small and local and outside.” He also included a chart showing hospitalizations at near unprecedented levels. Mississippi has seen a rise in COVID-19-related cases for almost two months straight. This surge was only exceeded by record-breaking August and July spreads. The state health department reported Saturday a single-day record for 1,972 cases. Over the weekend, the seven-day average reached 1,294 – the highest number since July 31. READ MORE: COVID-19 Mississippi latest trends, including daily case, death, and hospitalization updates. A total of close to 900 hospitalizations were reported by the state health department for people infected with the virus. This is the highest number of hospitalizations for people with the virus since Aug. 26. Officials from the health department warned the public on Friday about the dangers of spreading the disease during cold months and the holidays. Timothy Moore, president and CEO of the Mississippi Hospital Association said Friday that the hospital has a higher number of seriously ill patients than usual this time of the year. Moore pointed out that the number of cases has risen following each major holiday weekend since the pandemic. This includes Halloween. Moore stated that when you add an increase in COVID patients to the mix, it only makes things worse.