Ascension Parish reported 53 additional COVID-19 cases this week – Weekly Citizen

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| Gonzales Weekly Citizen

New coronavirus cases leaped in Louisiana in the week ending Sunday, rising 30% as 2,163 cases were reported. The previous week had 1,664 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Louisiana ranked 41st 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 increased 33.2% from the week before, with 501,037 cases reported. With 1.4% of the country's population, Louisiana had 0.43% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 43 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Ascension Parish reported 53 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 20 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 33,230 cases and 293 deaths.

Within Louisiana, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Orleans Parish with 144 cases per 100,000 per week; St. Bernard Parish with 93; and Jefferson Parish with 80. 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 Orleans Parish, with 563 cases; Jefferson Parish, with 344 cases; and East Baton Rouge Parish, with 202. Weekly case counts rose in 37 parishes from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in East Baton Rouge, Orleans and Lafayette parishes.

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

Louisiana ranked 48th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 61% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.7%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Wednesday, Louisiana reported administering another 19,025 vaccine doses, including 2,727 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 23,113 vaccine doses, including 3,305 first doses. In all, Louisiana reported it has administered 6,248,403 total doses.

Across Louisiana, cases fell in 18 parishes, with the best declines in Jackson Parish, with 1 cases from 9 a week earlier; in Sabine Parish, with 0 cases from 7; and in Caldwell Parish, with 4 cases from 10.

In Louisiana, 28 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 25 people were reported dead.

A total of 1,175,460 people in Louisiana have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 17,276 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 81,863,725 people have tested positive and 997,526 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, May 8.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Hospitals in 36 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 32 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 35 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 53 additional COVID-19 cases this week - Weekly Citizen