For the third straight day, Mississippi reported over 100 new presumptive COVID-19 cases during a week that is anticipated to be the country’s worst in the fight to slow the spread of the virus.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 177 new cases and eight new deaths on Tuesday. The numbers are up-to-date as of 6 p.m. on Monday. Mississippi’s totals are now 1,915 cases and 59 deaths.

Lafayette County reported three new cases on Tuesday after reporting zero new cases on Monday. The LOU Community now has 25 total cases and one death. The County’s slow growth was discussed by Lafayette County’s emergency management director Steve Quarles during the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday.

“As we look at the rate of growth in surrounding counties and around the state, even though our numbers are higher than any of us would want them to be, that rate of growth has been relatively slow,” Quarles said. “I believe it is related to the measures the County has put in place. With that being said, the state says that in the coming days they expect more cases and more growth. So, I urge people to continue to be diligent and (enact) social isolation and following the guidelines by the CDC and by our state.”

The MSDH is now reporting test numbers at Public Health Laboratories. As of Monday, 6,568 tests had been conducted at Public Health Laboratories; of those, 650 cases tested positive.

As of Monday, the 40 to 49 age group had the most cases with 362, while the 60 to 69 age group has 360 cases. There are a total of 510 confirmed cases reported between the 18 to 29 and 30 to 39 age groups. There are 51 confirmed cases for the 18 and under age group, which makes up 29 percent of the statewide case total.