Coronavirus updates in Louisiana: 14,867 COVID-19 cases in state; 512 deaths reported

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, there are now 14,867 coronavirus cases in the Bayou State. Officials said 512 residents have died of COVID-19.

In the hot spot region of the New Orleans metro, 4,565 cases have been reported in New Orleans while Jefferson Parish has 3,530 cases.

Louisiana’s 62 of 64 parishes are reporting coronavirus cases.

Neighboring Texas reported just over 6,800 cases while Mississippi’s cases have jumped to 1,788, according to the latest updates from both states Monday.

Back in Louisiana, there are 1,809 COVID-19 patients in state hospitals. Of that number, 563 patients are on ventilators, officials said.

Other parishes seeing upticks in cases are East Baton Rouge, Caddo and St. Tammany — now in the 600-800 case range. St. John the Baptist, Ascension and Lafourche parishes each have more than 300 cases, officials said.

Louisiana health officials have stressed that the uptick in numbers daily is credited to labs clearing backlogs of testing. Gov. John Bel Edwards has warned that still shouldn’t underscore the importance of social distancing and following stay-at-home orders.

Restrictions remain in place on large gatherings in Louisiana.

Schools and nonessential businesses remain shut down.

Back in New Orleans, officials have turned the convention center into a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients who no longer need to stay in traditional hospitals. The convention center will begin seeing those patients Monday.

Louisiana is sixth in the nation for the number of coronavirus cases, but it’s fourth for the number of deaths. New York leads the country with its cases and deaths.

Still, the weekend brought some promising news in New York.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported a drop in the daily number of reported deaths in the state on Sunday for the first time in days. He also said ICU admissions and daily intubations were down and the hospital discharge rate was “way up.”

There are more than 337,000 cases in the United States, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. More than 9,600 people have died nationwide.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Sunday described the week ahead as a “Pearl Harbor moment” and a “9/11 moment.”

Despite measures to enforce social distancing and supply medical workers with the resources necessary to treat patients, “we are struggling to get (the pandemic) under control,” Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Globally, the number of cases has surpassed 1.2 million with more than 70,000 deaths, Hopkins reports.

Click here for the latest local and national coronavirus updates.

Slow the Spread: CLICK HERE to read the CDC guidelines on coronavirus

News you can use:

In need of hand sanitizer? Here’s how to make your own

Is it allergies, the flu or the coronavirus? How to tell the difference

Here’s how to safely exercise outside during the coronavirus outbreak

Productive and entertaining activities you can do from inside your home

A guide to keeping your child safe and reassured as coronavirus spreads

How to manage OCD and anxiety amid the coronavirus

How to clean your car for coronavirus

Coronavirus: 4 ways to care for dry hands during regular washing