Topline
The first time that Louisiana's Covid-19 hospitalization count has not broken a record in 16 days is a good sign. Meanwhile, the number of cases continues to fall as the state that was a hot spot for the delta coronavirus variant starts to show signs.
On Thursday, Louisiana saw a decline in hospitalizations. This ended a streak that had seen record daily hospitalizations for weeks. getty
The Key Facts
On Thursday, Louisiana reported that 3,013 people were hospitalized for Covid. This is down from 3,022 on Wednesday. It was the largest single-day drop since July 1. The state had been adding more than 5,800 new cases per day on average late last week. However, that number has begun to fall with 4,144 cases reported by the state on Thursday. Louisiana was the initial epicenter of the surge in the U.S. delta variant. It has since spread quickly to other states in the South and all of Louisiana remains at the highest risk level for coronavirus transmission according to the CDC. Louisiana became the first state to reinstate the mask mandate on August 4. New Orleans, on Monday, became the first U.S. municipality to adopt a mandate to provide vaccines for indoor activities such as dining in restaurants. The death rate continues to rise in Louisiana, where it is higher than the trend in hospitalizations and cases. There were 58 deaths on Thursday, up from 10 in the previous day of summer.
Surprising Fact
The White House announced Thursday that more than 1,000,000 coronavirus vaccine doses had been administered, marking a significant milestone in slowing the spread of the disease. According to The Associated Press, this is the first time that more than 1,000,000 shots have been administered in a single day for nearly seven weeks.
Important Background
This drop in hospitalizations is due to Louisiana hospitals reaching breaking point. Only two ICU beds were left in some of the state's regions. The small improvements in Louisiana are not seen in other Southern states where the health care system is under greater strain than Louisiana. A field hospital in Mississippi has been built in a garage in response to the state's record-breaking hospitalizations. Alabama, however, has more ICU patients than it can care for. Officials in Mobile, Ala. took extraordinary measures Wednesday to stop public ambulance service from hospitals due to the overflowing emergency rooms with Covid patients.
Big Number
38.8% According to the Mayo Clinic, this is the percentage of Louisiana residents who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. It is one of the lowest rates of vaccination in the country. However, Covid vaccinations in Louisiana have increased significantly since last week's April.
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