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Louisiana COVID-19 hospitalizations rise for second straight day

At least 19 states have reported increases in their average COVID-19 numbers compared to two weeks ago.

NEW ORLEANS — Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus disease in Louisiana rose for the second straight day Monday, amid fears nationally that second wave of the virus could be nearing.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, hospitalizations in the state due to the virus increased by 12 compared to Sunday's update, bringing the total to 568. The total number of patients requiring ventilators for severe respiratory symptoms has stayed unchanged at 76 for the past three days.

Monday marked the second day in a row that Louisiana saw an increase in the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. However, it may be too soon to determine if the uptick is temporary rather than a sign of a potential second wave of the virus.

Hospitalizations are an important metric reported by the LDH as it shows the daily impact of the virus on the state's healthcare system. The number of patients in Louisiana hospitals for COVID-19 peaked on April 13 at 2,143 and had steadily dropped to below 550 as this weekend. It has now increased to 568 in the last two days. 

Since Louisiana's peak, the number of hospitalized patients has increased two days in a row on one other occasion, in early June, but then continued to drop once again. If Tuesday's LDH report shows another increase, it will be the first increase of three or more consecutive days since April 13.

Louisiana's neighbor to the west set new records for COVID-19 hospitalizations over the weekend, joining other states across the country who have seen cases spike since reopening.

Texas saw more than 2,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus Saturday and had a record number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized for the second day in a row. The number of Texans hospitalized with the disease hit 2,242 Saturday, exceeding Friday's high of 2,166. 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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