Delta surge subsiding as state vaccination rate slowly improves

Published 4:38 pm Monday, October 11, 2021

The COVID-19 Delta variant is continuing to subside in Louisiana as the state’s vaccination rate hovers near the 50 percent mark.

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The vaccine tracker at the Mayo Clinic shows Louisiana with 52.3 percent of its population having had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 46.1 percent of the residents fully vaccinated. The state has also risen slightly in the ranking of most vaccinated states, going from fifth at the end of summer to seventh, passing North Dakota and Mississippi on the way out of the basement.

According to Monday’s LDH update, the state recorded 31 new COVID-19 deaths since Friday, bringing the total to 14,204. The number of COVID-19 cases reported rose by 1,464 since Friday, to 748,793. 

Iberia Parish had logged 12,331 COVID-19 cases as of Friday, an increase of 10. The parish COVID-19 death toll rose by one, to 222. In St. Martin Parish, new cases identified brought the total there to 8,281, an increase of 12. The number of deaths remained at 160.

In St. Mary Parish, new cases rose to 8,466, with deaths at 213.

According to Monday’s LDH data, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide was at 525 Sunday, a drop of 24 from 549 on Saturday. Data showed the number of patients on ventilators dropped by three, to 107.

In Region 4, which encompasses the Acadiana area, hospitalizations were up by one, to 40 Sunday. The region’s number of ventilator cases remained at eight.

Region 4’s ICU bed occupancy was at 116 Sunday. There were 44 ICU beds available across the seven-parish area. That put the percentage of occupied ICU beds down to 72.5 percent. 

In Region 3, which stretches from St. Mary Parish east to Lafourche and north to St. Charles, 36 of 51 ICU beds were occupied as of Sunday. To the west, where Region 5 encompasses the area from Allen, Jefferson Davis and Cameron parishes to the Texas-Louisiana state line, 40 of 82 reported ICU beds were available.

The overall hospital bed occupancy in Region 4 was at 68.2 percent Sunday, with 532 of 1,672 beds available.

As of Sept. 29, the state’s seven-day COVID-19 test percent positivity was at 3.7 percent, down from 5.2 percent on Sept. 22. 

In Iberia Parish, the seven-day test positivity average was twice that, at 7.4 percent on Sept. 29, but still lower than the 8.3 percent on Sept. 22. In St. Martin Parish, the percentage dropped to 4.5 percent on Sept. 29, down from 6.5 percent on Sept. 22. St. Mary Parish saw a 23 percent decrease, from 6.4 percent on Sept. 22 to 4.9 percent on Sept. 29.

New seven-day test positivity rates are released each Wednesday for the week ending seven days prior.

 

Individuals can call the COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at 1-855-453-0774 to get their questions answered, speak directly with a medical professional, find a vaccine provider near them, and schedule an appointment today.