Avoyelles has 'split personality' COVID update Friday

Friday's COVID report for Avoyelles Parish wore two theatrical masks. One was the laughing mask of the comedy, reporting there was only one new case found in 148 test results since Thursday and the parish's "risk status" had improved to "medium." The other was the crying mask of the tragedy, releasing news that two more parish residents had died from the virus and that Avoyelles had accounted for 9 percent of the state's deaths in the Friday report.

As of Friday, the parish's 19-month totals were 7,091 cases and 181 deaths. Statewide there had been 758,471 cases resulting in 14,547 deaths since the pandemic hit the state in March 2020.

The state's "risk" map is now mostly the melon-orange of "high." There are still several deep red "very high" parishes and a growing number of yellow "medium" parishes.

In the nine-parish Avoyelles neighborhood, Catahoula and West Feliciana joined Avoyelles in the "medium" risk level, LaSalle and Evangeline remain in the "very high" designation and Rapides, St. Landry, Pointe Coupee and Concordia are still considered "high" risk for infection by the virus.