For the fifth-straight day, Mississippi’s weekly average of new COVID-19 coronavirus cases has increased, statistics released Friday from the state’s health department indicate.

The state health department reported Friday 763 new cases were found in the last 24 hours. It was the highest single-day number of cases reported since Feb. 25.

A winter storm in late February that shut down a large part of Mississippi for several days may have contributed to a period of low new case counts. The numbers of new cases plummeted in the two weeks following the winter storm, but have been slowly rising again in the last week.

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs urged people to continue to be cautious of the virus.

“Still too many cases to let our guard down until we get more Mississippians protected with vaccine,” he wrote on Twitter Thursday. “Mask in public. Limit indoor gatherings.”

Friday’s additional cases bring the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began to 299,887.

The Mississippi State Health Department reported 19 new deaths on Friday, bringing the total death toll to 6,883.

The 7-day, daily average of new cases rose to 449 on Friday.

The 14-day, daily average of new cases dropped to 453 with Friday’s update.

Of the total cases, the state believes approximately 283,953 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.