Eight more COVID-19 positives in St. Mary; St. Martin sees big jump in cases, two more deaths

Eight St. Mary people have tested positive for COVID-19 since noon Wednesday, according to the Louisiana Office of Public Health.

That brings the total to 89 after 334 tests. The first recorded COVID-19-related death of a St. Mary resident also made its way in to the daily report. Parish officials were told Wednesday afternoon that a parish man who had gone to a rehabilitation facility more than a month ago contracted the virus and died there.

Two more deaths were reported Thursday in St. Martin, where the death toll is now at six. State commercial labs have performed 149 tests from St. Martin. The case count there now stands at 127.

Five more cases were logged in Assumption for a total of 94 after 121 tests. No fatalities have been recorded in Assumption.

Statewide, an additional 1,253 COVID-19 positives were reported for a total of 18,283. Fifty deaths were added to the statistics since noon Wednesday.

Thirty-one more additional people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 illness for a total of 2,014. But the number of people on ventilators fell by 17.

Officials caution that because of the turnaround time and a backlog of samples at commercial labs, the numbers reported each day may include positives or deaths that happened several days earlier.