JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng called for a day of prayer on Thursday after the parish surpassed 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
The Jefferson Parish Government said Wednesday that to date 1,007 residents had died due to the coronavirus disease.
"We send our condolences to those that have lost a loved one," the parish government wrote on social media. "Let us not forget this during these trying times and be there for one another as many are still grieving."
Sheng said she will be joined by faith-based leaders from several denominations in the parish for prayer and words of encouragement. The event will be live-streamed on JPTV and the parish's Facebook Page at 5:30 p.m.
Louisiana reported 139 new COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, the most deaths reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic. The previous record for most deaths in a single day was 129 deaths reported on April 14, 2020.
Tuesday's spike in deaths moved Louisiana past another grim milestone: more than 12,000 people in the state have died since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Louisiana in March 2020.
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