BATON ROUGE, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The number of coronavirus cases reported in Louisiana rose by just 203 Friday, which is the lowest number of new cases reported on a weekday since Gov. John Bel Edwards issued his first statewide stay-at-home order on March 22.
74 new cases were reported on that day, seven weeks ago. Aside from Sunday, May 3, when 200 new cases were reported, no other daily case numbers have come in as low. Weekend reports from labs have typically been lower throughout the course of the pandemic.
The 19 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus Friday is also the lowest daily death count since March 29, and it brings the total in the state to 2,154.
Hospitalizations also dropped significantly in Friday’s LDH update, down 73 to 1,359. The number of patients on ventilators dropped by four, from 189 to 185.
The latest update could be considered a sign that the state is moving in the right direction for meeting the criteria for Phase One of reopening the economy. Gov. John Bel Edwards said on Wednesday that he is expecting to make an announcement Monday on whether that will happen by May 15.
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Edwards will hold another briefing Friday at 3 p.m. Watch streaming live here or on the ArkLaTexhomepage app.
Reported cases in Northwest Louisiana rose by 24 on Friday, all but two of them in Caddo Parish. Louisiana Department of Health data now shows 128 deaths in Caddo, although the coroner’s office was reporting 144 in the parish as of Thursday evening.
Bossier Parish is reporting one more COVID-19 case and an additional death, for a total of 19.
DeSoto, Natchitoches, are reporting one new case each and no new deaths. No new cases or deaths were reported in Webster, Claiborne, Sabine, and Red River. Bienville dropped one case but added a 17th death.
As of 12 p.m Friday, May 8, the LDH reported the following data on new cases, deaths and testing in northwest Louisiana parishes:
- Caddo – 1,712 case(s) | 128 death(s) | 125 state tests | 15,607 commercial tests
- Bossier – 308 case(s) | 19 death(s) | 44 state tests | 6,302 commercial tests
- De Soto – 208 case(s) | 13 death(s) | 20 state tests | 1,611 commercial tests
- Webster – 97 case(s) | 4 death(s) | 13 state tests | 1,781 commercial tests
- Claiborne – 58 case(s) | 9 death(s) | 31 state tests | 499 commercial tests
- Bienville – 77 case(s) | 17 death(s) | 20 state tests | 590 commercial tests
- Natchitoches – 92 case(s) | 8 death(s) | 55 state tests | 943 commercial tests
- Sabine – 17 case(s) | 1 death(s) | 27 state tests | 429 commercial tests
- Red River – 34 case(s) | 6 death(s) | 15 state tests | 261 commercial tests
