More than 10,000 cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus were detected in Mississippi over the last two weeks. That’s the most cases in any two-week period since Sept. 1.

Mississippi reported an above-average number of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases Thursday. Over the past 14 days, 10,262 cases were detected in the state, an increase of approximately 37 percent from two weeks ago.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 958 new cases on Thursday, bringing the total cases since the pandemic began in March to 113,081. Of those cases, the state believes approximately 97,675 have recovered.

Mississippi’s coronavirus caseload began rising over the last two weeks after Gov. Tate Reeves lifted a statewide face mask mandate at the beginning of October.

On Monday, Reeves announced an executive order requiring face masks and other virus mitigation measures in nine counties that have high numbers of new cases – DeSoto, Jackson, Lee, Forrest, Lamar, Itawamba, Neshoba, Claiborne and Chickasaw counties.

The number of patients with either confirmed COVID or suspected COVID has been steadily increasing since early October. Yesterday the state reported a total of 695 patients hospitalized. That number is far from the peaks seen in late July and early August when numbers were above 1,200, but the rise is concerning, medical experts say.

The state reported 8 new deaths Thursday, all of which occurred between October 18 and October 21. A total of 3,231 people have died from the virus, the state reported.

The 7-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 706 with Thursday’s update.

The 14-day, daily average increased to 733 cases per day.