NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana has reached another major milestone in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
As the state goes through the growing pains of reopening the economy, coronavirus hospitalizations have dropped below 1,000 for the first time since March 28. It's less than half of the number during the virus' peak five week ago.
While the Louisiana Department of Health reported 27 new deaths and 278 new cases Wednesday, the decrease of 73 patients in the hospital marks a significant move in the right direction as people return to work. The need for ventilators went to slightly as well.
It's the third day in a row of uplifting news on Louisiana's pandemic front: On Monday, both Orleans and Jefferson both reported no new deaths for the first time since the start of the pandemic. On Tuesday, the same.
And while the death totals climbed in the two parishes on Wednesday -- six new deaths in Orleans and two new in Jefferson -- the drop in hospitalizations offers a more timely understanding of the outbreak.
The amount of people being treated in Louisiana hospitals for the virus peaked on April 13, at 2,314 statewide and has been trended down since. Patients on ventilators peaked on April 4, at 571, according to the LDH.
Latest COVID-19 Numbers:
Here are the latest numbers from the Louisiana Department of Health as of Monday, May 18, 2020.
- Deaths: 2485 (+27)
- Cases Reported: 35,316 (+278)
- Patients in Hospitals: 931 (-73)
- Patients on Ventilators: 110 (-2)
- Presumed Recovered: 26,249 (Reported Weekly)
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