BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards noted Monday that the death rate from the coronavirus in Louisiana in recent days is the lowest it has been since March.
“One of the hopeful trends we are seeing is that we haven’t seen the death rate for COVID-19 this low since March,” Edwards said, adding that it “never escapes our attention that these are our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and we grieve all of them.”
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana rose to 34,709 Monday, while the number of people who have died from the virus rose to 2,440. That’s an increase of 277 cases and 15 deaths over the past 24 hours, according to the latest numbers released daily by the Louisiana Department of Health.
The first death from the coronavirus was reported in the state on March 14. By the end of that month, 239 deaths had been reported. On average, there were 13 deaths reported daily over the remaining two weeks of the month.
As of Saturday, May 16, the LDH says 26,249 people who have previously tested positive for the coronavirus are now presumed recovered. The state updates this number weekly, along with the number of “probable deaths,” which now stands at 123. Get the details on the latest LDH update here.
The governor also said Monday that the state is bracing for cuts in every department, including his own. Edwards said $80 million in funds must be severed as Louisiana deals with a crippled economy due to COVID-19 and the reeling oil and gas industry.
Lawmakers are eyeing nearly two percent in cuts to every department, including the state Department of Health and Hospitals.
Also this week, the LDH began reporting the names of nursing homes with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their facilities.
Edwards also announced a new COVID-19 crisis text hotline, urging those who are experiencing stress or mental health crisis to text REACHOUT to 741-741 to reach a trained crisis counselor.
RELATED:
- Three Shreveport-Bossier casinos set to reopen Monday
- Edwards’ budget proposal uses federal aid to avoid deep cuts
- Gov. Edwards expresses confidence Louisiana can safely reopen
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