NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana surpassed another grim milestone on Wednesday: More than 8,000 people have died due to COVID-19 since the coronavirus pandemic began last year.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported 51 new deaths linked to COVID-19 on Wednesday, pushing the total number of deaths to 8,022. Of those deaths, 5,498 – almost 69 percent – were from people ages 70 and older.
In the last seven days, 294 people have died in the state due to complications from the virus.
The nation’s overall death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, and is closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in World War II, about 407,000. Confirmed infections have topped 22.8 million.