The overnight surge in coronavirus cases in East Baton Rouge Parish has been anticipated and can be attributed to a logjam of lab results reported to the Louisiana Department of Health, the Mayor's office announced.
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in East Baton Rouge Parish rose to 621 on Saturday, a nearly 60% increase from the day before, according to data released by the LDH.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in East Baton Rouge Parish rose to 621 on Saturday, a nearly 60% increase from the day before…
The East Baton Rouge Coroner has reported 20 deaths in the parish related to the virus as of Friday.
"As I have been reporting, we expect to see an increase of COVID-19 cases in East Baton Rouge Parish," Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said in a release sent out after the noon update on the LDH website.
She instead pivoted to hospital capacity, noting 37% of beds are available and 23% of the ICU beds are available in LDH District 2.
"The Louisiana Department of Health and our area hospitals are constantly expanding capacity to prepare for the coming days," Broome said. "Our hospital capacity is the most critical factor in protecting the 20% of COVID-19 patients who will need hospitalization. "
Louisiana reached a “grim milestone” Friday with more than 10,000 people testing positive for coronavirus.
Broome reminded residents up to 80% of people with COVID-19 can be asymptomatic or have only minor symptoms.
"At this point, we should all act as if we have COVID-19," she said. "We need to protect our vulnerable population by rigorously practicing social distancing in the coming weeks. Everyone plays a vital role in protecting our community and helping to flatten the curve."
How will the federal stimulus bill help Louisiana come back from the coronavirus crisis?
