NEW ORLEANS — The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Louisiana declined on Thursday, but the state reported more than three dozen new deaths linked to the virus.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported 11,317 new cases and 42 deaths in its daily COVID-19 update on Friday. Hospitalizations dropped by 63 patients on Thursday to 2,304 people hospitalized across the state. Christina Stephens, a spokesperson for Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office, described the drop in hospitalizations as a “small, but positive sign.”
“Dropping hospitalizations are welcome news and we are cautiously optimistic that we could be seeing the peak of our Omicron surge,” Stephens said.
Of those 2,304 patients, about 72% are not fully vaccinated. Louisiana was reporting about 200 patients in mid-December.
Stephens added that 26 of the 42 deaths reported on Friday were people who were not fully vaccinated.
“Vaccines (and boosters!) are preventing severe illness and hospitalizations and saving lives,” Stephens said.
State officials say the percentage of people showing up at hospital emergency rooms with COVID-19-like symptoms has dropped for the second week in a row. And the percentage of positive tests dropped last week. State health officer Dr. Joseph Kanter, said both statistics indicate the state may be nearing a peak in its latest surge of COVID-19 cases.
But, Kanter and Gov. John Bel Edwards cautioned at a Thursday news conference that hospitalizations could continue to climb and the state will be facing a high number of infections for a while. They also noted a high number of re-infections in the state - most of them involving people who aren’t fully vaccinated.
“Louisiana is still in this Omicron surge. We may be seeing early signs of a peak, but right now, there is still just as much COVID in Louisiana as there was last week,” Edwards said. “Vaccines, boosters, and masking remain critical so we can get back to the things we love.”
In total, 15,324 deaths in Louisiana have been linked to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
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