Seventy new COVID cases, no deaths in three local parishes Friday

Seventy new COVID-19 positives, including 40 in St. Mary, were reported in three local parishes Friday by the Louisiana Office of Public Health.

Statewide, 2,642 new cases were reported as hospitalizations and ventilator usage continued to increase.

The 40 new positives in St. Mary raised the since the pandemic began to 704 after about 7,300 tests.

St. Mary is now one of 15 parishes in which the one-week incidence rate of positive tests exceeds 200 per 100,000 people.

St. Martin has 24 new COVID-19 positives for a total of 963 after about 12,100 tests.

Assumption has six new cases for a total of 410 after 3,800 tests.

No new local deaths were reported Friday, so the toll remains 39 in St. Mary, 27 in St. Martin and 16 Assumption.

Statewide:

--The pandemic total of positives is 74,636.

--25 new deaths make that total 3,272.

--75 more people are in hospitals for COVID treatment for a total of 1,117.

--The number of people on ventilators rose by 12 to 122.