COVID-19 cases surge among the unvaccinated in Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (KSLA) — Everyone in Louisiana, particularly those who are not yet fully vaccinated, are at a greater risk of exposure to COVID-19 as the more contagious Delta variant continues to spread, the state’s health department reports.

Health leaders also fear that children who are unable to get the vaccine are passing the Delta variant on to unvaccinated adults.

There have been widespread increases in COVID-19 cases among people who are not yet fully vaccinated in Louisiana.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 19,200 new COVID-19 cases have been reported among Louisiana residents since May
• 94% of those cases occurred among people who were not fully vaccinated.
• 9 additional COVID-19 deaths, all individuals who were not vaccinated, were reported by the state Tuesday, July 13.

“All people in Louisiana, especially those who are not yet vaccinated, should know they are now at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to the more transmissible Delta variant, and they should consider their personal risk and their family’s risk,” warned Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s state health officer.

MORE OBSERVATIONS BY THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT:

1. People’s failure to use face masks or to use them properly and their failure to practice social distancing are only adding to the threat posed by the widespread circulation of the more transmissible Delta variant, health officials say. This is particularly true among populations that have not been vaccinated, they add.
2. During the past week alone, there have been 35 new outbreaks in Louisiana and 200 new outbreak-associated cases have been identified. This represents a 169% increase in the number of reported outbreaks and a 96% increase in the number of outbreak-associated cases compared to the previous week.
3. Camps, child day cares, religious services and restaurants are the settings with the greatest increase in COVID-19 outbreaks, the Louisiana Health Department reports.
4. The number of new COVID-19 cases diagnosed each day has been increasing for the past 28 days
5. No area of Louisiana is immune; the number of new COVID-19 cases diagnosed each day is increasing in all nine regions of the state.
6. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Louisiana has been increasing for the past 12 days, with nearly 200 additional hospitalized patients added during that time as of Tuesday.
7. The statewide average daily number of cases per 100,000 residents has increased by 167% over the past two weeks.
8. The state’s positivity rate of new COVID-19 tests is now 6.3% and has been increasing for the past four weeks.

SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

If you are not yet fully vaccinated: The Louisiana Health Department still says you should use face coverings and practice distancing in all public settings, particularly indoors, for your safety and for the safety of those around you.

If you are fully vaccinated: You have very good but not absolute protection against COVID-19. And your relatively small risk of contracting COVID-19 increases as the amount of the virus circulating in your community increases. So those who desire extra protection should wear a face mask and practice social distancing, particularly when they are indoors.

If you are at increased risk for complications of COVID-19: This can be due to your advanced age or an underlying medical condition. For added protection, the Louisiana Health Department strongly recommends that you use face masks and practice social distancing when you are indoors or in close proximity to others. The state’s advice is the same if a member of your household is at an advanced age or has an underlying medical condition.

To find vaccines available near you, call the state’s COVID-19 vaccine hotline at (855) 453-0774.

Copyright 2021 KSLA. All rights reserved.