The graph of the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Louisiana did a slight wiggle over the weekend, but it will take a few days to determine if that is a trend or an aberration as the state draws closer to 3,000 patients in hospitals due to the disease.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Louisiana is still hovering above 2,900 as of Sunday, with 2,956 patients hospitalized with the disease statewide, an increase of 14 from Saturday. As has been the trend for the last two weeks, that is the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state since data started being collected in March of 2020.

The state also reported 417 patients on ventilators as of Sunday, which is actually a decrease of five from Saturday.

Region 4 hospitalizations as of Sunday were at 405, an increase of one from Saturday and the highest they have been during the pandemic. Of those cases, 55 are on ventilators, an increase of five and the highest since July 27, 2020.

Region 4’s ICU bed occupancy remained full as of Sunday, according to the latest state data. According to the LDH data, there were four of the 167 beds across the region available, for an occupancy rate of 97.6 percent. The overall hospital bed occupancy in Region 4 was still high Sunday at 78.7 percent, with 364 of 1,708 beds available.

By comparison, statewide intensive care bed occupancy was at 87.5 percent of capacity Sunday, with 214 of 1,716 beds available. Overall hospital bed occupancy was at 73.6 percent, with 3,615 of 13,718 total beds available.

The Monday LDH saw the state add 13,239 new identified cases of the disease over the weekend along with 65 new deaths. 

Iberia Parish had logged 10,261 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, an increase of 233 since Friday. The parish also added another death, climbing to 177. In St. Martin Parish, 73 new cases were identified, bringing the total there to 7,157. The number of deaths remained at 125.

In St. Mary Parish, new cases rose to 7,237, an increase of 141, with deaths rising by two, to 164.

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. 

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 on Aug. 11 include data from the first three days of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ reinstated mask mandate. Those figures are released weekly.