The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting more than 7,000 new COVID-19 cases over a five-day period.

The department posted new numbers Monday, covering cases confirmed from Wednesday through Sunday.

The state is seeing a significant increase in cases compared to just a few weeks ago. During the two weeks from Nov. 23 to Dec. 6, Mississippi confirmed 5,185 new cases of COVID-19.

From Dec. 22 to 26, Lafayette County has gained 152 cases of COVID-19 averaging approximately 30 cases per day. There have been no reports of COVID-19 deaths or LTC facility outbreaks. The county has a total of 9,211 cases, 143 deaths and 202 LTC facility outbreaks.

The Health Department on Monday did not immediately report updated statistics for COVID-19 hospitalizations or for variants of the virus.

Mississippi has confirmed more than 532,500 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.