Virus deaths hit Black community hard

The novel coronavirus has hit Lincoln Parish’s Black community harder than other groups, according to updated figures posted Wednesday by the Louisiana Department of Health.

Of the now 32 deaths attributed to the virus — that’s one additional death since Monday — 18 of the victims were Black and 14, white.

Likewise, of the 806 confirmed cases of CO-VID-19 as of Monday, 296 were among Black residents, the highest in any one category listed.

That’s almost 37% of the total cases, which matches closely with the proportion of the total parish population that the Black community comprises: roughly 40%.

However, white residents, which make up some 56% of the population, constitute just 20% of the virus case count.

The figures show 160 cases among white residents, 238 among residents of “other” races and 112 of unknown ethnicity. The local racial impact of COVID-19 tracks similar trends both for Louisiana and the nation.

LDH updates data for parishes with 25 or more total deaths each Wednesday using data through the previous Monday.

Meanwhile, since Monday, the overall Lincoln Parish case count has jumped by 10, to a total of 815 confirmed cases as of noon Wednesday. The numbers are cumulative, dating to the initial two cases in March.

The health department’s weekly update of COVID-19 trends in nursing homes shows Ruston Nursing and Rehabilitation with eight more confirmed cases since the previous week and three additional deaths.

Eleven residents of the facility have succumbed to the respiratory illness since the beginning of the outbreak. Some 56 residents have recovered, the report shows. Princeton Place recorded one new case over the week, while Alpine Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation posted no new cases.