Friday COVID update for Avoyelles: 11 cases, 2 deaths

The Friday COVID update was a mixed bag for Avoyelles Parish.

On one hand, the number of tests increased to 475 for the one-day report. This resulted in a light increase in cases, to 11. However, the resulting positive rate of 2.3 appears to be a more reliable one-day snapshot of the virus' presence in the community than recent reports with significantly fewer tests reviewed.

On the other hand, the report included news of two more COVID-related deaths in the parish.

The 18 1/2-month totals for Avoyelles as of Friday were 6,952 cases and 175 deaths. It is likely the parish will top 7,000 cases within a week. It is hoped the death toll will not reach the 200 benchmark.

The state's pandemic totals were 741,906 cases and 13,988. It is likely to reach 750,000 cases within a week and hopes the number never reaches 15,000 deaths.