Virus in steepest climb since summer

Lincoln Parish has recorded 198 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the last week, marking the steepest climb since the Delta variant surge last summer.

The Louisiana Department of Health on Monday reported an increase of 123 cases just since Thursday. That number does not include individuals who tested positive at home.

The daily LDH report also shows an additional 129 suspected, but unconfirmed, new local cases since Thursday.

“We are seeing a significant increase in COVID patients coming to the emergency room,” Northern Louisiana Medical Center spokesperson Tami Davis said Monday. “Most patients coming in through the ER are able to be treated and released.”

Four COVID patients are hospitalized, Davis said.

The local uptick mirrors the statewide trend. Last week, Louisiana set a pandemic record for single-day increase in new cases. Hospitalizations also back on the rise.

As of Monday, 31,161 new cases were reported statewide, with 1,106 patients hospitalized.

State officials say the Omicron variant is responsible for 90% of the Louisiana cases. Fortynine of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, including Lincoln, have been moved back into the high community risk category.

Since the pandemic began in March 2020, some 4,978 parish residents have had COVID, and another 2,938 suspected of having the respiratory ailment. Over the same time period, COVID has claimed the lives of 103 local residents. It is the suspected cause of death of 16 more residents.