Big jump in COVID cases, three deaths in St. Martin

The 73 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported for three local parishes at midday Tuesday included 56 in St. Martin Parish, where three coronavirus fatalities were also reported by the Louisiana Office of Public Health.

Louisiana also saw a significant increase in hospitalizations statewide.

The cases reported for St. Martin in the last 24 hours raise the total since the pandemic began to 3,093. Those positives resulted from molecular tests and are considered to be confirmed. Another 150 cases were detected by the less sensitive antigen tests and are categorized as probables. The three deaths reported Tuesday raise the parish's toll to 73 with five deaths probably related to COVID.

St. Mary had one new confirmed case for a total of 2,494 plus 153 probables.

Assumption had 16 new confirmed cases, raising its total to 1,048 with 124 probables.

The death tolls remain at 92 confirmed with six probables in St. Mary and 25 with one probable in Assumption.

Statewide:

--2,617 new cases raise the confirmed case count to 252,459 with 19,817 probables.

--50 new fatalities were reported for a total of 6,577 confirmed COVID-related deaths and 318 probables.

--The number of COVID-people in hospitals grew by 70 to 1,597.

--5 more people are on ventilators for a total of 152.