43 new confirmed COVID cases, no deaths in local parishes

Forty-three new confirmed COVID-19 cases, more than half of them in St. Martin, were reported at midday Friday for three local parishes, according to the Louisiana Office of Public Health.

Statewide, COVID hospitalizations are down sharply.

St. Mary has 17 new confirmed cases in the Friday count, raising the pandemic total to 2,542. Those cases were confirmed with molecular tests. Another 182 people have had positive results from antigen tests, which are less sensitive. Those cases are listed as probable.

St. Martin has 24 new confirmed cases for a pandemic total of 3,175 with 192 probable.

Assumption has two new confirmed cases for a total of 1,062 with 135 probable.

No local fatalities were reported, so the tolls remain at 93 with six probable in St. Mary, 73 with five probable in St. Martin and 25 with one probable in Assumption.

Statewide:

--3,103 new cases raise the confirmed pandemic case count to 259,903 with 22,531 probable.

---30 new fatalities were reported for a confirmed toll of 6,664 with 330 probable.

--The number of COVID-positive people in hospitals, a source of concern in the latest coronavirus wave because of the strain COVID puts on the health care system, fell by 55 to 1,547.

--10 more people are ventilators for a total of 179.