Cases of the novel coronavirus have risen to 164 in East Baton Rouge Parish, according to the latest data from the Louisiana Department of Health.
The new total is an increase of 11 from Saturday's 153 cases reported. Overall, there are 3,540 positive cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana, an increase from 3,315 on Saturday. As of Sunday, 151 people throughout the state have died. Seven of those deaths occurred in East Baton Rouge — an increase of 3 from Saturday.
To date, 27,871 tests have been completed, the majority conducted by commercial labs and reported to the state.
1,127 patients across the state have been hospitalized, and 380 are on ventilators. The growing number of patients needing ventilators has become a glaring issue for Louisiana, with state officials saying hospitals could run out of them by mid-week at the trend's current rate of increase.
Earlier Sunday, Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state could resort to retrofitting breathing devices into makeshift ventilators and even putting two patients to one machine to try to stretch the state’s supply.
Fifty-nine of the state's 64 parishes have confirmed cases of the coronavirus. While East Baton Rouge has the largest number of known cases in the Capital area, a handful of smaller suburban and rural parishes are seeing higher figures.
Ascension Parish had 139 people testing positive with 2 deaths. Livingston Parish had 15 cases but no reported deaths and West Baton Rouge Parish had 12 cases with 1 death.
Grocery store clerks, cashiers and pharmacists continue to work while coronavirus spreads through Louisiana, risking their health to provide essential services.
The U. S. now has the most confirmed coronavirus cases in the world after passing China and Italy.
Click here to see more info on the latest data.
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