While the nation’s spotlight shined on Mississippi Friday after the state removed restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the state’s number of new cases crept up over the last several days, but remain lower than prior weeks.

The state health department reported Friday 591 new cases were found in the last 24 hours.

That brings the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 296,754.

The Mississippi State Health Department reported 19 new deaths on Friday, leaving the total death toll to 6,783.

On Tuesday, Gov. Tate Reeves announced plans to drop county mask mandates and capacity restrictions on many businesses, which sparked President Joe Biden to suggest it was sparked by Neanderthal thinking.

The 7-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 458 on Friday.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases rose to 490 with Friday’s update.

Mississippi’s recent declines since January’s highs are similar to lower case spreads across the country.

Of the total cases, the state believes approximately 273,437 cases 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 can die as a result.