It appears the number of COVID-19 cases in Warren County is trending higher in recent days after a period of more than two weeks of falling numbers.

Between May 11 and May 28, Warren County reported an average of 2.3 new cases daily. Over that same period, the number of estimated active cases fell from 65 to just 25.

In the days since, the number of cases has grown at a faster pace, which has also caused the estimated active cases to increase.

Tuesday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported an additional six positive cases in Warren County, bringing the total number of cases reported during the pandemic up to 181. Over the past four days, the county has seen an average of more than four new cases daily, which has pushed the number of active cases to 39.

The number of virus-related deaths in Warren County remained at 10, with seven of those deaths connected to long-term care facilities in the county. Of the 10 total deaths, six have come in the past 15 days.

“I’d call it an ‘uptick,’ probably related to people getting more complacent and restrictions being lifted,” said Dr. Dan Edney of Medical Associates in Vicksburg. Edney is also a member of the governor’s COVID-19 task force. “The deaths are being driven by the numbers and more than half are nursing home deaths.

“Every time it makes it into a nursing home it will cause deaths and each week we have new nursing homes being affected,” Edney said. “Church openings will likely fuel it a bit more.”

The Mississippi State Department of Health has continued to refuse to announce which nursing homes or other long-term care facilities in counties have reported outbreaks.

The state reported 268 new cases and 28 additional virus-related deaths. Overall, the state has now reported 16,020 cases of COVID-19 since March 11, with 767 deaths.

The number of confirmed cases in Claiborne County, which has seen its numbers nearly double in the past week, grew by just two Tuesday. The county is now reporting 112 total cases and two virus-related deaths.

Sharkey County continues to report just seven cases, with most if not all of those cases, now presumed recovered. Issaquena County continues to be the only county in the state to not yet report a positive case.

Yazoo County reported Tuesday 286 total cases with four virus-related deaths.

In the latest report from the Louisiana Department of Health, Madison Parish crossed an unwanted threshold recently, reporting now 101 confirmed cases.