Special Report

This Is the Parish in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area with the Most Deaths from COVID-19

Samuel Stebbins

Published: October 22, 2021 5:15 am

Following a months long surge driven by the delta variant, new daily cases of COVID-19 are falling once again in the United States. Still, the virus continues to claim lives. So far, 719,694 Americans have died from the virus — more than the total number of Americans killed in World War I and World War II combined.

In the New Orleans-Metairie metropolitan area, located in Louisiana, a total of 3,342 deaths have been attributed to the virus, equal to 264 fatalities for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, 220 deaths have been attributed to the virus per 100,000 people.

The higher than average per capita COVID-19 death rate across the metro area is being driven by one area in particular.

The broader New Orleans metro area comprises eight counties or county equivalents — and of them, St. John the Baptist Parish has had the most COVID-19 fatalities per capita. So far, the per capita coronavirus death rate in St. John the Baptist Parish stands at 387 for every 100,000 people.

With the highest per capita death rate in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area, St. John the Baptist Parish ranks among the top 25% of all U.S. counties or county equivalents by COVID-19 death rate per capita.

All COVID-19 data used in this story are current as of Oct. 20, 2021.

These are all the parishes in Louisiana where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).