According to Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. surpassed 11 million COVID-19 cases on Sunday, an increase of nearly a million new cases in the last week. The latest figures prompted a heap of new lock downs and calls to reimpose restrictions across a number of hard-hit states, including in California and Michigan. More than 245,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 complications and nearly 70,000 are currently hospitalized. In a press conference at the Rose Garden on Saturday, President Trump stated there will not be another nationwide lockdown under his administration.
The state of Texas was the first state to reach 1 million coronavirus cases, with California becoming the second. The state of Louisiana has exceeded 200,000 total coronavirus cases. As of Tuesday, the state has 205,059 cases with 818 patients hospitalized and 81 on ventilators. The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting a total of 934 cases and 11 deaths for Madison Parish.
Although Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has not yet enforced any new restrictions for the state, he did say the following, “It is going to take each and every one of us to continue to fight the spread of COVID-19. The sacrifices we need to make aren’t easy, but they are necessary to help us get back to normalcy quicker and to save lives.” With the increase in cases for the state, the fate of Phase 3 hangs in the balance until Gov. Edwards makes a new announcement within the weeks to come. The new cases show an increase in all regions of the state as well as all age groups. The largest increase of cases are in those ages 18 to 29, a 25% increase, and those living in Acadiana region, a 21% increase.
“Due to the rise in COVID-19 we want to remind everyone to please be vigilant during the holidays about social distancing, wash your hands frequently and wear your masks to keep everyone safe,” stated Madison Parish Sheriff Sammie Byrd.
