Health officials in Louisiana are now reporting there are 5,237 cases of coronavirus reported in the state. There have been 239 deaths reported.
In Central Louisiana, as of March 31, there are:
Allen Parish: 15 cases
Avoyelles Parish: 19 cases
Grant Parish: 2 cases
Rapides Parish: 58 cases, 3 deaths
Natchitoches Parish: 2 cases
Vernon Parish: 3 cases
Currently, 1,355 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized. Of those, 438 patients require ventilators.
The state reported a 58-year-old with underlying health conditions being treated at Touro Infirmary in Orleans Parish died Saturday, March 14, marking the first death in Louisiana.
The first death from Rapides Parish was a 76-year-old. The other two were listed as two 69-year-olds.
The Department of Health has identified COVID-19 clusters in 40 long-term care facilities in the state. For context, there are a total of 436 nursing homes and adult residential care facilities in Louisiana. A cluster is identified as two or more cases that appear to be connected.