NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) is reporting 48 additional cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant have ben detected in Louisiana.
These numbers now bring the total cases attributed to the Omicron variant up to 93. The first case was discovered on December 3.
Broken down regionally, the state reports the following numbers: Region 1, the Greater New Orleans Area: 81 - 71 probable cases, 10 confirmed cases; Region 2, the Baton Rouge Area: 3 probable; Region 4, Acadiana: 1 confirmed; Region 7, Northwest Louisiana: 6 - 2 probable; 4 confirmed; and Region 9, Northshore: 2 - 1 probable; 1 confirmed.
The LDH also continues to warn that not all cases of Omicron can be identified, meaning that it is highly likely that there are more cases of Omicron occurring in Louisiana than are shown in the case counts. Within the state, Omicron outbreaks have been identified in universities, and individual cases have been identified in high-risk settings, such as K-12 schools and nursing homes.
The CDC currently projects the percentage of Omicron among other present variants is around 2.9% nationwide. In Louisiana, that number goes up to around 4.3% for this study, which dates to the first week of December.
The Omicron variant was officially discovered on November 26, 2021, as a Variant of Concern. This new variant was first reported to the WHO by government officials in South Africa. Since then, it has been detected in 57 countries and more than 35 states.
The LDH has said that they plan to provide updates on the Omicron variant every Wednesday and Friday.