Three deaths in three parishes; big jump in St. Mary COVID-19 cases

The Louisiana Office of Public Health reported one new death in each of three local parishes Saturday.

The report includes cases recorded between noon Friday and noon Saturday:

--In St. Mary, 18 new COVID-19 cases were reported Saturday, raising the total to 242 after 1,590 tests.

Mobile testing began this week in west St. Mary and Patterson, which may account for the unusually large jump in new cases. A total of 177 tests were reported by the OPH in a day.

Another St. Mary death was reported Saturday, raising the toll to 26.

--Two new cases and a COVID-19 death were reported in St. Martin on Saturday. The parish now has 257 recorded cases and 20 deaths.

--Two new cases were reported in Assumption, where the case count is 208. Another death raised the toll to 11.

Statewide:

--562 new cases, the biggest one-day total in recent days, were reported Saturday for a total of 31,417.

--40 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 2,194.

The OPH didn't update the hospital and ventilator use numbers from Friday, when 1,359 were hospitalized and 185 were on ventilators.