State

Louisiana’s COVID-19 case count soared by nearly 2,000 Monday as an avalanche of test results flooded in. The state posted 1,857 new cases and 35 more deaths since Sunday. The trajectory of Louisiana’s death count appears to have leveled off, now at 512 reported deaths Monday, but, “It’s going to be the hardest, saddest week for Americans,” warns U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, citing total American deaths to top 10,000 this week. Louisiana continues to lead in per capita death rate with St. John the Baptist Parish at nearly 30 per 100,000 residents. Orleans Parish has 25.

On the day New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio called for a national draft of retired doctors and medical workers to be rushed to New York City, Louisiana COVID-19 cases broke above 10,000 to 10,297 cases. That's up by 1,147 new cases but that number represents half the increase seen Thursday which set a record 2,726 new cases. Governor John Bel Edwards said in his Friday press conference that's due in large part because Louisiana now ranks second in the nation for testing per capita.

“If you wait for these numbers to grab your attention, guess what? You just let the virus win,” a visibly distressed Governor John Bel Edwards reiterated of Louisiana’s new Coronavirus cases at a Thursday afternoon press conference. State COVID-19 cases soared Thursday to a one-day record of 2,726 new cases as a tidal wave of test results arrived mostly from private testing companies.