Louisiana Department of Health officials had to change the scale of their online COVID-19 hospitalization tracking chart today as the number of hospitalizations increased by about 300 over the weekend.

The LDH report Monday shows 2,720 hospitalizations statewide due to the coronavirus pandemic as of Sunday, up from 2,421 on Thursday. That is the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state since data started being collected in March of 2020.

The report also saw the state add more than 16,000 new cases — 16,541, to be exact — of the disease along with 50 new deaths.

The state also reported 318 patients on ventilators as of Sunday, an increase of 41 since Thursday and the highest that number had been since April 20, 2020.

Region 4 hospitalizations as of Sunday were at 347, an increase of 37 and the highest they have been during the pandemic. Of those cases, 37 are on ventilators, an increase of two and the highest since Aug. 6, 2020.

Region 4’s ICU bed occupancy dropped slightly, according to the latest state data. As of Sunday, there were 13 of the 156 beds across the region available, for an occupancy rate of 91.7 percent. The overall hospital bed occupancy in Region 4 was also down slightly on Sunday at 75.8 percent, with 407 of 1,681 available.

Iberia Parish was at 9,512 cases Monday, an increase of 266. The parish also added one death, climbing to 171. In St. Martin Parish, 208 new cases were identified, bringing the total there to 6,791. The number of deaths remained at 123.

In St. Mary Parish, new cases rose to 6,811, an increase of 176, with deaths remaining at 155.

Statewide, 90 percent of new infections and 84 percent of deaths between July 21 and July 28 and 91 percent of the state’s current hospitalizations were among unvaccinated patients. 

The seven-day test positivity rates released last week showed the Teche Area numbers rising rapidly. In Iberia Parish, the seven-day positivity rate rose from 16 percent on July 21, which was adjusted upward from the 15.6 percent originally reported, to 23 percent on July 28. That marks a seven-point rise in one week.

In St. Martin Parish, the seven-day average positivity rose 3.5 points over the same period, from 20.5 to 24 percent. St. Mary Parish saw a 18.63 percent increase, from 16.1 percent to 19.1 percent.

All three parishes are well beyond the state average, which was at 15.4 percent as of July 28.

It is also important to remember that the state’s seven-day positivity rates are delayed by one week. So the numbers released today do not include the first days of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ reinstated mask mandate. 

As a result of the increase in community spread of the virus, The Daily Iberian will require masks to be worn during its upcoming Best of the Teche event and recommend all attendees to observe social distance rules when possible. Masks will be provided at the door for those who do not bring their own.