NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana has again set a record for COVID-19 cases, with 14,077 diagnosed in one day, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday.
And despite the pandemic's long slog, people need to keep up precautions against spreading and contracting the coronavirus, he said.
“I know that people 22 months into the pandemic are tired of it. That includes me," he said during a livestreamed briefing. "But we don’t really get a vote on that — we can't say, ”Omicron, pandemic, you've got to go now.'''
The state Department of Health estimates that the omicron variant caused more than 90% of the state's cases as of Jan. 1, Edwards said. He said that compares to 95% nationwide and 98% in the U.S. health department region that includes Louisiana.
“Three weeks ago we had about 200 patients in the hospital” with COVID-19, Edwards said. “Today that's 1,400.”
Louisiana suspended in-person visits to adult and juvenile prisons on Thursday.
The Office of Juvenile Justice said virtual family visits would continue. A news release Thursday said it was also limiting contractors and deliveries on its campuses.
The Department of Corrections and Public Safety, which runs eight prisons, said it will continue to offer two free phone calls a week so inmates can stay connected to family and friends, with video calls available for a fee.
In New Orleans, people opened the Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras with joy and caution. But Mayor LaToya Cantrell said her second-term inauguration will be outdoors with limited access on Jan. 10, and the City Council's ceremony will be virtual.
The Louisiana Department of Health said Wednesday that preliminary estimates indicate that omicron cases made up 90% of those diagnosed in the week ending Jan. 1, up from 88.5% the previous week.
The state logged 10,403 new cases, with 11 deaths and 1,287 people hospitalized — 48 of them on ventilators — in the 24 hours ending at noon on Wednesday.
By noon Thursday, in addition to the 14,077 new cases, there were another 12 deaths. The 1,412 hospitalized patients included 60 on ventilators.
More than 893,600 people have been diagnosed statewide since early 2020, and 15,038 have died, it said.
In south Louisiana, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where classes will begin Wednesday, said some classes scheduled in person might be held virtually this month. Faculty members will notify students of any such changes, it said.
In the northeast, the University of Louisiana at Monroe closed its international student center because of a staffing shortage. It also closed library study rooms for small groups but said those were expected to reopen when classes start next week.
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