NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana reported 110 new deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, including a baby under the age of one year old. It is the second day in a row that the state reported more than 100 deaths due to the virus.
Gov. John Bel Edwards confirmed the baby's death, which is the first child death reported in the state in six months. In total, Louisiana has reported 11 deaths among children since the pandemic began.
"Each COVID-19 death in Louisiana has been heart-wrenching, but the loss of such a young child, who could not be vaccinated yet, is tragic and a stark reminder of the difficult circumstance we are in throughout Louisiana," Edwards said. "Right now, we are seeing younger people hospitalized. They are getting sicker than in the previous surge and, unfortunately, some of them may die."
The governor said that Louisiana has reported 6,146 new cases of COVID-19 among children this week, and last week 63 children were admitted to the hospital with the virus. The state reported 6,619 new cases of COVID-19 since Tuesday. Edwards said that 31% of those cases were among children younger than 18 years old.
“This news is heartbreaking,” said. Dr. Joseph Kanter, State Health Officer. “And it’s a tragic reminder that the numbers we report every day are also our children, friends, and neighbors and that no one is immune to this virus’ impact. The best way we can protect ourselves, our loved ones, and young children who are not eligible to get the vaccine is to get vaccinated ourselves and wear a mask. It’s really that simple.”
Hospitalizations have seemingly plateaued over the past few days at near record-high levels. On Tuesday, hospitalizations dropped slightly, decreasing by 12 patients to 2,844 hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state. The health department says 91 percent of those patients are unvaccinated.
More than 12,000 people in Louisiana have died from the virus since the pandemic began.
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