JACKSON, MISS. — The Mississippi Department of Health reported 1,092 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the highest numbers in the state since the pandemic began.

The previous high single-day increase was 611 reported Tuesday. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs told The Associated Press then he feared the state was experiencing a surge.

Mississippi, with a population of about 3 million, had reported at least 24,516 cases and 1,016 deaths from the novel coronavirus as of Wednesday evening, according to the state Department of Health. It said at least 2,487 cases had been confirmed in long-term care facilities with at least 503 virus-related deaths in those facilities.

The increase comes weeks after Mississippi began taking measures to reopen the state. Restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and movie theaters are among the businesses currently open with limited seating.

Dobbs said he doesn’t think the new cases were caused by the state reopening too quickly. He said the real problem is a lack of concern for safety guidelines around the use of masks and the practice of social distancing.