Acadiana COVID-19: New case plateau continues while hospitalizations hit one-month low

Lafayette Daily Advertiser

New cases of coronavirus rebounded in Acadiana Tuesday after Monday saw the lowest number of cases reported in months, while three additional fatalities were reported.

Acadiana’s eight parishes reported 258 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday in what appears to be a return to a recent plateau trend amidst a series of fluctuating reports in the past two weeks.

Since July 27, Acadiana has averaged 252 new infections a day, a major decline from the region’s peak of 455 a day from July 20-26, though still significantly higher than the virus’ first wave peak of 73 cases a day between March 30 and April 5.

Cindy Morris, left, and Swarnamala Ratnayaka don personal protective equipment before preparing RNA for testing for the new coronavirus at the molecular pathology lab at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The test is identical to the PCR test being used by the Centers for Disease Control to ease the testing crisis and stop the spread of COVID-19, which has hit the New Orleans area especially hard. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Across Monday and Tuesday, the region averaged 155 new cases a day, but Monday’s 52 new cases in Acadiana came as laboratory reporting issues limited the number of cases and tests reported across the state.

Tuesday’s new cases appear to be a return to Acadiana’s recent trend, and the 258 infections come across 4,409 tests, for a one-day positivity rate of 5.9%. That puts the region at 21,580 cases across more than 247,000 tests for a cumulative positivity rate of 8.7%.

The largest number of infections reported in Acadiana on Tuesday came in Lafayette Parish, which reported 80 new cases. St. Landry Parish followed with 43 and then Acadia Parish with 33.

The eight-parish region combined for just three COVID-related deaths Tuesday, a three-week low that comes as Acadiana experiences its fastest rate of death from the virus yet.

In the past three weeks, Acadiana has averaged eight COVID-related fatalities a day, marking a sustained death rate that is well above the region’s first wave peak of five deaths a day from April 20-26.

The recent rate of death from COVID-19 in the region accounts for 173 fatalities since July 20, or 36% of all COVID-related deaths in the region since the pandemic began in March.

Tuesday’s three deaths came across three Acadiana parishes, with one fatality reported in Iberia, St. Landry and Vermilion parishes.

Acadiana’s slowly falling hospitalizations continued their downward trend Tuesday as five fewer COVID patients required hospital care, moving the region to 218 total hospitalized COVID patients, the region’s lowest total in over a month, though that excludes St. Mary Parish.

Tuesday’s patient count marks a major decrease from the region’s peak just three weeks ago of 304 hospitalized COVID patients on July 22.

Statewide, hospitalizations for COVID-19 dropped dramatically Tuesday, with 47 patients removed from Louisiana’s total to reach 1,335 people hospitalized with the disease, while one patient was removed from a ventilator, putting Louisiana at 214 ventilated COVID patients.

Tuesday’s new cases represent a 0.9% increase from Monday’s statewide total, with Tuesday’s 1,164 new cases putting the state at a total of 133,125 infections and an overall positivity rate of 8.5%, compared to a single day rate of 5.6% statewide Tuesday.

Louisiana reported 26 additional COVID-related deaths statewide Tuesday for an increase of 0.6% to put Louisiana at 4,195 lives lost.

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