Storm, COVID-19 cases raise ICU patient count

Published 12:51 pm Tuesday, September 1, 2020

The rise in patient load and the removal of several hospitals from the care system as a result of Hurricane Laura have pushed the current percentage of intensive care beds occupied in Region 4 to above 85 percent, according to the latest data from the Louisiana Department of Health.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Region 4, which covers Acadiana, dropped by six to 110 on Monday, down from 116 on Sunday. The number of patients on ventilators Monday rose by two, to 19.

The overall intensive care bed occupancy rate in Region 4, however, was reported at 85.9 percent Tuesday, with 141 rooms occupied and 23 ICU beds still available. It is not clear, however, if that data represents Tuesday’s occupancy or Monday totals. According to an LDH spokesman, the numbers represent “the last complete day,” but not clarifying whether that was as of noon Monday or noon Tuesday.

For whichever day the data applies, the total number of ICU beds rose by four, to 164. That is down from the count of active ICU beds before the storm, which hovered above 180.

In its new case data Tuesday, LDH showed 148,882 identified COVID-19 infections so far, an increase of 667, or 0.45 percent, from Sunday’s total of 147,869.

The state added 4,821 new test results Tuesday, for a rough positivity rate of 13.8 percent. The number of tests given in recent weeks has dropped, to a seven-day average of 22.06 tests per 10,000 residents as of Aug. 26, the last day on which that data was updated. The positivity rate for those tests was 7.80 percent.

In Region 4, the Aug. 26 testing rate is slightly above the state average, at 22.38 tests per 10,000 residents. The percent positive of those tests for the week of  Aug. 26 was 6.7 percent.

In Iberia Parish, the number of cases rose by two Tuesday, to 2,717. The number of deaths remained at 87, with 26,517 tests performed in the parish. The LDH latest two-week incidence map update showed that the parish’s positive test rate has been cut in half, from 741.46 cases reported per 100,000 population on July 29 to 365.09 per 100,000 between July 30 and Aug. 12.

St. Martin Parish’s number of identified cases rose by 13, to 1,975, with 24,621 tests performed. The LDH two-week incidence map shows that from July 30 to Aug. 12 St. Martin Parish had 514.72 cases reported per 100,000 population, up from 412.15 per 100,000 in the last update. The number of deaths rose by one, to 57.

In St. Mary Parish, the total cases rose by six, to 1,768, after 15,163 tests. The number of COVID-19 deaths remained at 70. The LDH incidence map shows that from July 30 to Aug. 12 the parish had 446.02 cases reported per 100,000 population, down from 606.74.

In Lafayette Parish, the case count remained at 8,275 on Tuesday. The number of deaths remained at 111. The number of tests in the parish rose to 117,661. The LDH incidence map shows that from July 30 to Aug. 12, the parish had 339.81 cases reported per 100,000 population, down from 577.47 on July 29.

The number of cases in Jefferson Parish rose by 65 to 16,526 on Tuesday, compared to a increase of 59, to 11,573, in Orleans Parish. The latest data has testing in the two parishes at almost even, with 176,503 tests in Jefferson compared to 176,304 in Orleans.

Despite lower case numbers, the more urban Orleans Parish has seen 28 more deaths than its suburban neighbor. Orleans Parish deaths remained at 577. In Jefferson Parish, the total number of deaths rose by three, to 549. The LDH incidence map shows that from July 30 to Aug. 12, Jefferson Parish had 287.52 cases reported per 100,000 population, down from 415.16. In Orleans, that number was 156.01 per 100,000, down from 226.59.

The LDH reporting of data on hospitalizations due to the disease appears to now be running 24 hours behind. On Tuesday, the state reported 910 hospitalizations as of Monday, an increase of 29 from 881 Sunday. The number of patients on ventilators also decreased by four, to 128 Monday. That is down from 132 on Sunday. 

Monday’s report also showed that the hospital bed occupancy in Region 4 was at 1,184 — 76.4 percent — of the region’s beds occupied on Saturday with 366 available. The total number of reported beds rose by 24, to 1,550.

The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Louisiana rose to 4,821 Tuesday, up from 4,787 on Monday. That rise represents an increase of 34, or 0.71 percent. The average age of fatal patients is 75, the median age 77. As of Aug. 26, 163 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.

When compared by age group, the number of cases in the 18 to 29 demographic was at 32,550 Monday. It is the demographic group with the largest number of identified cases by far. The number of deaths reported in the group remained at 22. 

The number of COVID-19 cases identified in the 30 to 39 age group was at 24,296, with 79 deaths, followed closely by the 40 to 49 age group, with 22,215 cases and 159 deaths, and the 50 to 59 age range with 21,688 cases, including 416 fatalities reported. 

The 70 and above group case count was at 17,575. The number of deaths in that group rose by 21, to 3,275 — 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 17,055 cases reported and 866 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 13,303 cases total and four reported deaths.

According to Monday’s update, labs in Louisiana have processed at least 1,889,825 COVID-19 tests so far. 

The state has also started tracking probable cases, which is the number of individuals with a positive test detecting SARS-CoV-2 antigens. That number was 701 as of Aug. 26. 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 — 56 percent — of the identified COVID-19 cases in the state, with men comprising 44 percent. 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 Aug. 24, rose to 127,918. 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.

For the first time since the Louisiana Department of Health launched its web dashboard to track coronavirus statistics, White victims made up the majority of the reported COVID-19 deaths in the state. 

On Wednesday, the weekly update of fatalities by race showed the percentage of COVID-19 deaths among White victims climbed 0.5 percent.

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 47.60 percent  as of Aug. 26, while White victims now make up 51 percent of all fatal cases. 

The category for victims of unknown race remained at 0.00 this week. The Native American/Alaskan Native data has reappeared on the dashboard, at 0.09 percent. The Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander category remained at 0.08 percent. Other races identified include Asian at 0.66 percent and other at 0.56 percent.

The number of Black deaths is still disproportionate to the demographics of the state’s population. African Americans make up about 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 (55.19 percent), diabetes (34.42 percent), and cardiac disease (20.36 percent).

Other factors included chronic kidney disease (18.85 percent), obesity (17.63 percent), neurological disorders (16.90 percent), congestive heart failure (16.93 percent), pulmonary issues (11.75 percent), cancer (6.97 percent), and asthma (3.59 percent).