More than 1,000 people statewide are hospitalized with COVID-19 infections, the Louisiana Department of Health said Jan. 2, in a rare Sunday update prompted by increasing concern over the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.
“We would not normally be reporting COVID-19 data today,” the LDH wrote in a Twitter post, " but due to recent rapid increases amid the Omicron surge, we want to make sure we are sharing the latest.”
The post went on to say that 15,358 new cases have been reported in Louisiana since Dec. 31, out of 48,816 tests reported. And the LDH said 1,014 people were now hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state, 76 percent of whom were not “up to date” on their vaccinations to protect against the disease.
The state health department described Omicron as “surging in Louisiana,” and urged those eligible to get vaccinated, boosted and to wear masks while indoors “to stay safe and protect those around you.
“Remember, testing alone is not a strategy to stay safe.”