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Louisiana hospitals saw a surge in COVID-19 patients over the weekend as the more virulent and transmissible delta strain of the coronavirus spread to communities that remain unvaccinated.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported that 711 patients had been hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday afternoon, the highest number since mid-February, when the state was recovering from a deadly winter wave of cases .
Editor’s Note: Due to changes in the importance of various metrics used to track the pandemic, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans lawyer r…
Louisiana’s largest hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, on Saturday evening admitted its highest number of patients since the last spike in cases in December, said Dr Catherine O’Neal, doctor. head of the hospital.
By the end of the weekend, the hospital had admitted 30 new patients – enough to force the facility to open a whole new floor for COVID-positive patients. Of that cohort of patients, 20 were under 65 and none were fully vaccinated, O’Neal said.
Statewide, hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have increased by 148 patients since Friday, the Department of Health said.
Faced with a surprising and preventable new wave of COVID-19, an infectious disease specialist from Baton Rouge issued a stern warning to Frida …
While much of the rest of the country is enjoying a coronavirus-free summer, Louisiana, with its paltry vaccination rates, is squarely at the heart of a fourth wave of cases.
“I want to be clear after seeing what I’ve seen for the past two weeks,” O’Neal said at a press conference on Friday. “We have only two choices: either we are going to get vaccinated and end the pandemic. Or we are going to accept death. A big part, this outbreak, and another outbreak, and maybe another variant.”
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
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