Ascension Parish reported 32 additional COVID-19 cases this week – Donaldsonville Chief

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| Donaldsonville Chief

Louisiana reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 2,059 new cases. That's down 26.3% from the previous week's tally of 2,795 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Louisiana ranked 47th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 7.7% from the week before, with 298,674 cases reported. With 1.4% of the country's population, Louisiana had 0.69% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 13 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Ascension Parish reported 32 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 47 cases and no deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 39,955 cases and 302 deaths.

Across Louisiana, cases fell in 49 parishes, with the best declines in Vermilion Parish, with 28 cases from 96 a week earlier; in St. Tammany Parish, with 159 cases from 208; and in Lafayette Parish, with 82 cases from 128.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Within Louisiana, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Richland Parish with 184 cases per 100,000 per week; Allen Parish with 133; and Webster Parish with 117. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were St. Tammany Parish, with 159 cases; Orleans Parish, with 156 cases; and Jefferson Parish, with 155. Weekly case counts rose in 14 parishes from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Allen, Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes.

In Louisiana, 36 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 57 people were reported dead.

A total of 1,457,349 people in Louisiana have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 18,102 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 96,699,237 people have tested positive and 1,062,564 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Oct. 9. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Hospitals in 18 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 15 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 29 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

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Ascension Parish reported 32 additional COVID-19 cases this week - Donaldsonville Chief