Thursday’s daily report on COVID-19 data from the Louisiana Department of Health showed the state adding 392 new cases, raising the total identified infections so far in the state to 181,837.

The state added 13,396 new test results Thursday, making the rough positivity rate for that day’s tests 2.9 percent.

According to the Thursday update, the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 rose to 5,694, an increase of 18 from 5,676 on Wednesday. 

That rise represents an increase of 0.32 percent. The average age of fatal patients is 75, the median age 76. As of Oct. 28, 214 of those deaths were still considered probable COVID-19 fatalities pending final testing. The number of probable deaths attributed to COVID-19 is updated each week on Wednesday.

In Iberia Parish, the number of cases was at 3,081 Thursday, an increase of one. The number of deaths remained at 97, with 36,295 tests performed in the parish. The LDH latest two-week incidence map update showed that the parish’s positive test rate dropped 54.2 percent, from 117 cases reported per 100,000 population on Oct. 7 to 53.57 per 100,000 on Oct. 21.

St. Martin Parish’s number of identified cases remained at 2,230, with 31,688 tests performed. The LDH two-week incidence map shows that on Oct. 21, St. Martin Parish had 124.95 cases reported per 100,000 population, a 48.9 percent increase from 83.92 per 100,000 on Oct. 7. The number of deaths remained at 64.

In St. Mary Parish, total cases rose to 2,027, after 22,323 tests. The number of COVID-19 deaths were at 86. The LDH incidence map shows that on Oct. 21 the parish had 60.27 cases reported per 100,000 population, down 48.2 percent from 116.53 on Oct. 7.

In Lafayette Parish, the Thursday case count rose to 9,493, with the number of tests rising to 154,736. The number of deaths was at 139. The LDH incidence map shows that the parish had 101.33 cases reported per 100,000 population on Oct. 21, exactly the same number reported for the two weeks ending Oct. 7.

The number of cases in Jefferson Parish rose to 18,757 on Thursday, compared to 13,514 in Orleans Parish. The latest data shows Orleans administered more tests, with 254,208 tests in Jefferson compared to 317,520 in Orleans.

Despite lower case numbers, the more urban Orleans Parish has seen seven more deaths than its suburban neighbor. Orleans Parish deaths were at 594. In Jefferson Parish, the total number of deaths was at 587. The LDH two-week incidence map shows that on Oct. 21, Jefferson Parish had 127.87 cases reported per 100,000 population, up 11.7 percent from 114.5 on Oct. 7. In Orleans, that number was 107.42 per 100,000 on Oct. 21, up 14.8 percent from 93.6 on Oct. 7.

The LDH reporting of data on hospitalizations due to the disease runs 24 hours behind its testing data. On Thursday, the state reported 612 hospitalizations as of Wednesday, a decrease of one  from 613 on Tuesday. The number of patients on ventilators fell by one, to 79 Wednesday. That is down from 80 on Tuesday. 

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Region 4, which covers Acadiana, dropped by eight to 56 Wednesday. The number of patients on ventilators Wednesday dropped by one, to eight.

The overall intensive care bed occupancy rate in Region 4 was still high Wednesday at 90.5 percent, with 143 beds occupied and 15 ICU beds still available. The total number of ICU beds available was at 158. That is still down from the count of active ICU beds before Hurricane Laura, which hovered above 180.

Wednesday’s data showed that hospital bed occupancy in Region 4 was at 77.8 percent, with 1,212 of the region’s beds occupied and 345 available. The total number of reported beds was at 1,557.

When compared by age group, the number of cases in the 18 to 29 demographic was at 40,259 Thursday. It is the demographic group with the largest number of identified cases by far. The number of deaths reported in the group remained at 25. 

The number of COVID-19 cases identified in the 30 to 39 age group was at 29,151, with 81 deaths, followed closely by the 40 to 49 age group, with 26,767 cases and 183 deaths, and the 50 to 59 age range with 26,225 cases, including 489 fatalities reported. 

The 70 and above group case count was at 20,936. The number of deaths in that group rose to 3,880 — still the largest number of fatalities for any age group by far, more than the number of deaths in all other groups combined and more than two-thirds of the total COVID-19 attributed deaths in the state.

In the 60 to 69 age group, there were 20,694 cases reported and 1,031 deaths. This age group has the second-highest number of deaths, behind only the 70 and above demographic group.  

The under 18 group, the smallest demographic segment, had 17,595 cases total — 3,665 age 4 and under — and five reported deaths.

The state’s seven-day average of tests given as of Oct. 23, the last date reported, was 29.25 tests per 10,000 residents. The positivity rate among those tests was 5.07 percent.

In Region 4, the Oct. 23 testing rate was well below the state average, at 24.39 tests per 10,000 residents. The seven-day average percent positive of those tests was above the state average, at 5.79 percent.

According to Thursday’s update, labs in Louisiana have processed at least 2,747,418 COVID-19 tests so far. 

The state has also started tracking possible cases, which is the number of individuals with a positive test detecting SARS-CoV-2 antigens. That number was 4,379 as of Oct. 28. According to an LDH spokesman, individuals initially identified as having a positive antigen test who are later identified as having a positive confirmatory test will be removed from the probable case count and added to the cumulative case count.

By gender, the state’s daily report shows women making up the largest part — 55 percent — of the identified COVID-19 cases in the state, with men comprising 44 percent and 1 percent unknown. On the other hand, the COVID-19 deaths are predominantly among men, 52 percent to 48 percent for women.

The number of presumed recovered cases, as of Oct. 28, rose to 168,634. In order to be considered recovered, a living patient must either be out of the hospital and 14 days past a positive test result, or 21 days past a positive test date if their hospitalization status is unknown.

On Oct. 28, the weekly update of fatalities by race showed the percentage of COVID-19 deaths among White victims continued to climb. Initially, LDH reported that 70 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the state were in the Black community. That number has since dropped to 45.21 percent as of Oct. 28, while White victims now make up 53.38 percent of all fatal cases. 

The Native American/Alaskan Native total was at 0.11 percent. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander data remained at 0.08 percent. Other races identified include Asian at 0.69 percent, Other at 0.46 percent and Unknown at 0.04 percent.

The number of Black deaths is still disproportionate to the demographics of the state’s population. African Americans make up less than 40 percent of Louisiana’s populace.

That data is only reported once a week, updated on Wednesday.

The top three underlying conditions among COVID-19 deaths in the latest report were hypertension (51.84 percent), diabetes (30.83 percent), and neurological disorders (21.91 percent).

Other factors included cardiac disease (20.67 percent), chronic kidney disease (17.96 percent), obesity (16.58 percent), congestive heart failure (13.25 percent), pulmonary issues (11.32 percent), cancer (6.61 percent), and asthma (3.37 percent).