Even as hospitals continue to fill beds with COVID-19 patients, the weekly update on seven-day positivity rates showed a bit of a stagger Wednesday, with the state average rising a half-point and the positivity actually declining in St. Mary and St. Martin parishes.

The seven-day test positivity rates released Wednesday showed the Teche Area numbers remaining high, but only Iberia Parish increasing in positivity. In Iberia Parish, the seven-day positivity rate rose from 23.1 percent on July 28 to 24.6 percent on Aug. 4. In St. Martin Parish, the seven-day average positivity dropped nearly two points over the same period, from 24.5 to 22.6 percent. St. Mary Parish saw a 6.8 percent decrease, from 19.1 percent to 17.8 percent.

All three parishes are well beyond the state average, which was at 16.1 percent as of Aug. 4, an increase from 15.6 percent on July 28.

Across Region 4, which encompasses the Acadiana parishes, the overall seven-day positivity rate was down slightly, from 18.8 percent on July 28 to 18.7 percent on Aug. 4.

The seven-day percent positivity numbers released today include data from the first three days of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ reinstated mask mandate. Those figures are released weekly.

The LDH report Wednesday shows 2,895 hospitalizations statewide due to the coronavirus pandemic as of Tuesday, up 36 from 2,859 on Monday. 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 5,408 new identified cases of the disease along with 55 new deaths.

The state also reported 373 patients on ventilators as of Tuesday, an increase of 35 from Monday and the highest that number had been since April 16, 2020.

Region 4 hospitalizations as of Tuesday were at 350, an increase of four and the highest they have been during the pandemic. Of those cases, 46 are on ventilators, an increase of four and the highest since Aug. 6, 2020.

Region 4’s ICU bed occupancy is rising again according to the latest state data. As of Tuesday, there were three of the 162 beds across the region available, for an occupancy rate of 98.1 percent. The overall hospital bed occupancy in Region 4 was also up slightly on Tuesday at 79.6 percent, with 347 of 1,699 available.

Iberia Parish was at 9,785 cases Wednesday, an increase of 107. The parish also added two deaths, climbing to 173. In St. Martin Parish, 45 new cases were identified, bringing the total there to 6,893. The number of deaths rose by one, to 125.

In St. Mary Parish, new cases rose to 6,993, an increase of 82, with deaths remaining at 155.

Statewide, 90 percent of new infections and 83 percent of deaths between July 28 and Aug. 4 and 91 percent of the state’s current hospitalizations were among unvaccinated patients. 

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.