DES MOINES — Iowa reported a record 250 deaths linked to the coronavirus Sunday, which is the biggest one-day increase the state has recorded.

The state reported 4,901 deaths linked to COVID-19 on Sunday morning. That was 250 more than what the state reported Saturday, and the figure is significantly higher than the average of 23.43 deaths reported per day over the past week.

But the 250 deaths reported Sunday didn’t occur within the last 24 hours. The deaths included many from the end of December and early January because it often takes more than a week for deaths to be added to the state totals after a person has died.

Previously, the most deaths ever reported in a single day was 198 on Dec. 8 when the state made a change in how deaths were reported.

The deaths reported Sunday came from all across the state. At least one death was reported in 75 of Iowa’s 99 counties and no county recorded more than 20 deaths.

Also Sunday, the state reported 757 new cases of the virus to increase Iowa’s total to 319,203 cases.

The number of people hospitalized with the virus declined to 358 on Sunday from the previous day’s 376.