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JACKSON (AP) — Mississippi reported one of its highest single-day increases in coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, after a few days of improving numbers.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 1,081 new confirmed cases and 45 deaths on Wednesday, one of the top five single-day death tolls in the state since the start of the pandemic. The state reported 48 deaths on July 30, 52 deaths on July 31 and 51 on Aug. 5.

Adams County’s numbers increased to 642 total confirmed COVID-19 cases and the county’s death toll remains at 26. Adams County had 86 active COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the Adams County Emergency Operations Center.

The increase comes after a few days of decreasing numbers of new cases and deaths, which Gov. Tate Reeves said made him feel cautiously optimistic. Before Wednesday, the state reported 644 new cases and 33 deaths on Tuesday, 476 cases and 16 deaths on Monday and 527 cases and 22 deaths on Sunday.

The governor has said not to get discouraged by numbers and that the new cases and deaths that Mississippians are seeing reported now represent individuals who were exposed weeks ago. In the last several weeks, he said he’s seen people taking the virus more seriously, something that gives him hope for the road ahead.

Reeves said Tuesday during a press briefing that Mississippi may be “starting to turn a corner” in the pandemic.

“Too often it is hard to see the progress that is being made with this global pandemic,” Reeves said. “Too often we focus only on that which scares us.”

Anecdotally, Reeves said he is seeing more people wearing masks, especially since he instituted a statewide mask mandate on Aug. 4.

“The trends will only continue if we do the right things,” he said. “We cannot rest easy and we cannot start to ignore the risks that are out there, but we can be hopeful and confident in our path forward.”

The Health Department said Wednesday that Mississippi, with a population of about 3 million, has had at least 69,374 reported cases and at least 1,989 deaths from COVID-19 as of Tuesday evening.

The true number of virus infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe or fatal illness.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County

Totals of all reported COVID-19 cases for 2020, including those in long-term care (LTC) facilities.

The numbers in this table are provisional. County case numbers and deaths may change as investigation finds new or additional information. The data provided below is the most current available.

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	642	26	46	12
Alcorn	439	5	8	1
Amite	240	6	14	2
Attala	533	25	89	20
Benton	154	1	2	0
Bolivar	1156	36	48	9
Calhoun	426	9	23	4
Carroll	262	11	45	9
Chickasaw	488	19	35	11
Choctaw	138	4	0	0
Claiborne	409	14	43	9
Clarke	343	28	27	9
Clay	404	14	2	1
Coahoma	789	13	43	2
Copiah	971	28	30	4
Covington	637	15	5	1
De Soto	3753	31	45	7
Forrest	1858	57	101	32
Franklin	135	2	3	1
George	603	8	5	1
Greene	262	13	35	6
Grenada	856	26	76	15
Hancock	409	15	8	4
Harrison	2651	36	148	15
Hinds	5768	121	273	54
Holmes	923	49	97	20
Humphreys	299	12	20	6
Issaquena	27	2	0	0
Itawamba	395	10	40	7
Jackson	2391	45	68	7
Jasper	408	9	1	0
Jefferson	196	7	8	2
Jefferson Davis	240	6	3	1
Jones	1947	62	171	35
Kemper	240	14	38	9
Lafayette	1018	20	90	15
Lamar	1241	15	8	3
Lauderdale	1439	93	210	56
Lawrence	329	8	13	1
Leake	799	27	4	0
Lee	1563	42	83	15
Leflore	959	68	184	44
Lincoln	846	43	124	28
Lowndes	1102	40	84	24
Madison	2489	72	206	37
Marion	689	21	47	6
Marshall	729	9	17	2
Monroe	831	55	146	44
Montgomery	345	6	1	1
Neshoba	1306	94	108	35
Newton	555	11	7	1
Noxubee	463	12	17	4
Oktibbeha	1136	39	177	26
Panola	1091	17	8	1
Pearl River	567	40	57	16
Perry	248	8	0	0
Pike	951	37	73	18
Pontotoc	857	9	5	1
Prentiss	441	10	26	3
Quitman	275	1	0	0
Rankin	2322	38	100	10
Scott	1017	20	15	3
Sharkey	206	5	42	4
Simpson	821	31	56	15
Smith	412	13	54	8
Stone	224	5	23	2
Sunflower	1071	27	15	3
Tallahatchie	547	11	7	2
Tate	746	30	33	12
Tippah	388	14	1	0
Tishomingo	444	9	34	2
Tunica	365	7	12	2
Union	700	17	35	8
Walthall	511	21	64	10
Warren	1137	35	95	18
Washington	1722	44	57	13
Wayne	789	21	58	10
Webster	248	13	52	11
Wilkinson	220	13	8	3
Winston	635	16	40	11
Yalobusha	318	10	35	7
Yazoo	870	13	28	3
Total	69,374	1,989	4,159	854