Omicron surge finally drops below previous peaks as fifth COVID wave plummets

Andrew Capps, Lafayette Daily Advertiser
·2 min read

Louisiana’s omicron variant-fueled surge of COVID-19 cases has finally fallen to levels below the peaks of the state’s four prior waves as the virus’ spread continues to slow this spring.

After four weeks of the fastest growth in COVID-19 cases Louisiana has seen during the pandemic, this week’s new cases marked a massive decline, notching an average of 2,600 new infections confirmed each day statewide for a drop of 42% from the week before.

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Nearly a quarter million of the state’s 865,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases have come during the omicron surge, which began in earnest in Louisiana the week before Christmas.

This week marks the third week in a row with declining spread of the virus in Louisiana, as new cases confirmed over the past seven days amount to just 30% of the number of cases reported during the omicron surge’s record-setting mid-January peak.

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This week’s marked decline in new cases comes alongside a meaningful drop in the number of COVID-19 tests being reported.

The past seven days saw just over 152,000 COVID-19 tests reported statewide, a decline of 28% from the week before. Still, the larger decline in the number of confirmed cases reported this week suggests that the virus’ prevalence in Louisiana is continuing to fall.

This week also marked the first time since Jan. 11 that fewer than 2,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in facilities across Louisiana.

As of Thursday, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had dropped to 1,821 from 2,088 on Jan. 27 and 2,304 on Jan. 20.

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But the omicron surge is continuing to have an impact on the number of deaths related to COVID-19 around Louisiana, with this week seeing a meaningful decline that still left the number of daily COVID-19 deaths elevated from previous weeks.

Louisiana confirmed an average of 23 COVID-related deaths per day this week, a decline of 34% from last week’s average of 34 a day, but still significantly higher than weekly averages from before the omicron surge began causing an increase in fatalities.

This week’s 159 COVID-related deaths around the state is almost 2 1/2 times the 65 deaths reported during the peak week of new cases during the omicron surge. As of Friday, Louisiana has confirmed 13,636 deaths from the virus.

Follow Andrew Capps on Twitter or send an email to acapps@theadvertiser.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Omicron surge drops below previous peaks as fifth COVID wave plummets