Confirmed Louisiana Virus Cases Top 200,000 Amid New Surge

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana‘s latest coronavirus spike pushed the state’s confirmed cases above 200,000 Wednesday, as the state grapples with a third virus surge since the pandemic began.

The Louisiana Department of Health said it had confirmed that 200,982 people living in the state have tested positive for COVID-19 since Louisiana reported its first cases in early March. At least 5,939 residents have died from the virus, according to the health department.

Nearly 186,000 people are presumed recovered, but that leaves thousands who could have active infections and be spreading the virus.

More than 11,000 additional people in Louisiana have tested positive over the last week, prompting new rounds of worry from Gov. John Bel Edwards and public health officials that the latest swell of cases could threaten Louisiana’s ability to deliver health services. Hospitals aren’t overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients yet, but Edwards cautioned the current trajectory raises that risk.