NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana saw another high number of new COVID-19 cases Sunday after an alarming spike on Friday. But the Sunday numbers are less indicative of a trend because they cover cases reported throughout the weekend.
The state reported more than 2,500 new cases Sunday and 11 new deaths. But Sunday's numbers include those from Saturday, when the Louisiana Department of Health doesn't update their public dashboard, meaning that those numbers tend to be larger than on a weekday.
But even 1,250 cases per day is cause for concern among health experts, especially after Friday's jump of nearly 3,500 reported cases.
Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the director of the New Orleans Department of Health, said on Friday that people can't let their guard down because of the positive data seen over the past month or two.
Speaking to reporters outside City Hall, Avegno said Orleans Parish's positivity rate -- the measure of how many tests come back positive -- has nearly doubled from 1.2% to 2.2%.
While that rate is much better than other parts of the country, she said it mirrors the jump in cases nationwide.
If things don't change, New Orleans could go back to a more restrictive state, she said. The city loosened restrictions less than a week ago to Phase 3.3, which allowed bars to reopen to limited in-house drinking.
But many people appeared not to be heeding the warnings from experts. On the first weekend of Phase 3.3, crowds in the French Quarter walked shoulder to shoulder, many with no masks.
In total, more than 6,100 Louisianans have died from coronavirus, either directly or from complications of the illness.
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