NEW ORLEANS — New coronavirus cases in Louisiana increased by nearly the highest amount in weeks on Friday, and virus hospitalizations reached 700 for the first time since May.
1,354 additional COVID-19 cases brings the total to 54,769 statewide. That's an increase of more than 5,000 in the last seven days. In comparison, the weekly increase prior to that was less than 3,000.
It's the second increase of more than 1,300 cases this week -- it happened first on Tuesday.
Patients in Louisiana hospitals for COVID-19 treatment increased by 47 Friday, the largest single-day increase since April 13. The total now stands at 700, with 73 of those patients on ventilators.
Twenty-six additional deaths were reported Friday, bringing total coronavirus-related deaths in Louisiana to 3,077. It's the largest daily increase in reported deaths in three weeks, since June 5.
There have now been 678,000 tests performed in the state since the start of the outbreak. The percent positivity of tests reported Friday, meaning the number of new tests coming back positive, is at 7.8%, data. That remains under the federal goal of 10%, or one in ten people tested.
State health officials said nine out of ten new COVID-19 cases are being traced back to community spread -- people interacting with each other willfully, as opposed to an outbreak in a workplace or assisted living facility.
Here are the daily coronavirus statistics for Friday, June 26 from the Louisiana Department of Health. Changes from the day before are noted:
- Cases: 54,769 (+1,354)
- Deaths: 3,077 (+26)
- Patients in hospitals: 700 (+47)
- Patients on ventilators: 73 (-4)
- Recoveries: 39,792 (updated on Mondays)
- Total tests performed: 678,006 (+17,341)
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