Mississippi’s top public health doctor said Sunday the much-feared Thanksgiving surge in new COVID-19 coronavirus cases has arrived.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 1,473 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total cases since the pandemic began in March to 164,931.

Mississippi’s 7-day and 14-day, daily averages of new cases dipped slightly Sunday, but remain near records set the day prior.

“The Thanksgiving surge has arrived. What would you do to save 1,000 lives?” Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs asked on social media. “We can save that many and more just by: wearing a mask in public and avoiding non-essential gatherings. No joke – that’s all it would take.”

Of the total cases, the state believes approximately 128,746 have recovered and while many people who are infected with the virus may only have moderate or even no visible symptoms, others can get gravely ill and die as a result.

The state reported 12 new deaths Sunday. A total of 3,961 Mississippians have died from the virus, the state reported.

The 7-day, daily average of new cases dipped to 2,142 with Sunday’s update, just off the 7-day record high set Saturday.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dipped to 1,609 on Sunday.