After a week of decline in COVID-19 cases two weeks ago, the Louisiana Department of Health is reporting a rise in cases this past week. “LaSalle is no different than any other parish in the state as every parish is in the red meaning the positivity rate is high,” stated Region 6 Medical Director Dr.
After a week of decline in COVID-19 cases two weeks ago, the Louisiana Department of Health is reporting a rise in cases this past week.
“LaSalle is no different than any other parish in the state as every parish is in the red meaning the positivity rate is high,” stated Region 6 Medical Director Dr. David Holcombe.
During the end of July, the state reported that LaSalle went from a high of 33 new cases in one week to a lower number of 10 the following week, to 21 new cases the first week of August.
Holcombe also noted that in the entire Region 6 area, there has only been one new death related to COVID during the past week, and only two deaths total for the recent Delta variant spike period.
“What we’re seeing is a large number of younger people getting the virus and with that younger population that means they are less likely to die,” he said. “The death rates with the Delta variant are much lower.”
Still, that doesn’t mean that the younger population contracting the virus won’t face major health issues when getting COVID, as evidenced by the large number of people currently in Louisiana hospitals.
“Right now, every hospital is full, including regular beds and ICU beds,” Dr. Holcombe stated Friday, August 6. “As of today, we have only 12 ICU beds available in the entire state.”
He also noted that of that large number of people in the hospital, approximately 85% of those are unvaccinated individuals, while 15% are vaccinated.
“This has proven that while there is still a chance you will get the virus if you are vaccinated, those who are vaccinated experience milder symptoms and are less likely to require hospitalization,” he said.
Currently, LaSalle Parish’s vaccination rate is only 25.79 percent; meaning only a quarter of all parish residents have been fully vaccinated.
Holcombe also noted that since the Delta variant seems to be targeting younger individuals, a push is underway to get young people vaccinated.
“The vaccine is available for anyone 12 years of age and older and we are encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated to help prevent them from this virus,” he said. “Currently, only 3% of young people in our region have been vaccinated.”
Since the pandemic began last year, LaSalle has had 1,174 people test positive for the virus and the state reports 26 LaSalle residents have lost their lives due to the virus.
