79 new COVID cases in three parishes since Friday

Seventy-nine new COVID-19 positives were reported for St. Mary, St. Martin and Assumption parishes in the 48 hours since midday Friday.

The Louisiana Office of Public Health also reported Sunday that hospitalizations are up sharply statewide.

The state didn't report numbers Saturday, citing the Fourth of July holiday.

In St. Mary, 26 new positives were reported for the two days ending at noon Sunday, raising the number of cases since the pandemic began to 576.

Another 45 cases appeared in hard-hit St. Martin, where the total number of positives is now 824.

Eight cases were reported in Assumption, where the total is 381.

The OPH reduced the number of COVID-related deaths among St. Martin people by one to 27. The death toll in St. Mary remains at 38, and in Assumption at 15.

Statewide:

--1,937 cases were reported for a pandemic total 65,226.

--10 deaths raised the toll to 3,180.

--The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment rose by 74 to 926.

--The number of people on ventilators rose by 12 to 105.