Thursday COVID update for Avoyelles: 117 new cases, three additional deaths

Avoyelles Parish's COVID numbers for Thursday reflected an overall positive rate below 20 percent, another triple-digit increase in new cases and the first multiple fatality report in several months.

There were only 663 tests reviewed in the Thursday update for the parish. There have been well over 1,000 tests in recent reports. As is usually the case, a lower number of test results usually has a higher positive rate. There were 117 new cases identified in those 663 tests, for a one-day report positive rate of 17.6 percent. The statewide rate on Thursday was 22.7 percent.

The worst news in the report was notice of three COVID-related deaths in Avoyelles Parish, which raises the 22-month pandemic death toll to 184.

Based on the number of new cases per day, it appears the Omicron variant of COVID has at least slowed its pace, if not started retreating in the parish. The addition of three deaths in this report, and two earlier this week, are indicators of the parish's conditions two or three weeks ago and not of current strength and prevalence of the virus.