New COVID cases slow in St. Mary; no deaths since Thursday

The fourth wave of coronavirus infections continues to subside, with statewide hospitalizations continuing to fall and no deaths reported in St. Mary Parish since Thursday.

On Monday, the Louisiana Office of Public Health reported a pandemic total of 8,349 COVID-19 cases in St. Mary, up by only 44 since Friday. In August, one-day new cases were commonly 100 or more. About 2,400 new COVID cases have been reported in the parish since early July.

The St. Mary COVID-19 death toll now stands at 208. The fourth spike in COVID cases that began in early July claimed 61 St. Mary lives.

Statewide, the OPH reported 3,058 new COVID-19 cases Monday along with 55 deaths.

The number of COVID-positive people in Louisiana hospitals was at 984 Monday, down by more than two-thirds from the peak of over 3,000 in August.

The demand on hospitals from the new COVID wave, just as Louisiana schools were ready to reopen, led to a new statewide mask mandate by Gov. John Bel
Edwards for indoor public spaces and vaccination mandates by some employers, including health care facilities.

The vaccination mandates led to protests and at least two lawsuits against Ochsner Health System and Our Lady of Lourdes facilities in Lafayette .

The fourth wave of infections has been blamed by public health officials on the highly contagious and potent Delta variant of COVID-19.

First confirmed in Louisiana in early July, the Delta variant quickly became the dominant form of the disease here. Public health officials eventually warned that Delta is so contagious that people faced a choice between vaccination or infection.

St. Mary Parish's vaccination rate has climbed from about 29% to 37.95%, according to the OPH dashboard as of Tuesday morning.

But the parish still lags behind the nation and the state in vaccination percentage.

The OPH says 86% of new cases, 85% of hospitalizations and 81% deaths from COVID-19 in Louisiana are among those who are not fully vaccinated.

The question of boosters shots has also become controversial recently.

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance says the effectiveness of vaccines has been shown to decrease over time.

People who have received the Pfizer vaccine and are 65 or over, those who have health conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID, or who live or work in high-risk environments are eligible for a Pfizer booster shot.