Friday COVID update for Avoyelles: 27 cases, one death, 255 tests

A relatively few test results in the state health department's COVID update for Avoyelles Parish on Friday gives a first-glance impression the virus is receding. However, the percent of positive results removes that hope.

There were 255 test results reviewed since Thursday. There were 27 positive for COVID, which is an overall positive rate of almost 10.6 percent. Although rapid result tests made up over 41 percent of those totals, Avoyelles cannot blame the high positive rate on those antigen tests -- which usually have a higher positive rate than the more detailed lab tests.

There were 149 lab tests with 19 infections, reflecting a 12.75 percent positive rate. There were 106 antigen tests with eight positives for a 7.5 percent rate.

There was one additional COVID-related death in Friday's report.

The 18-month totals for Avoyelles as of Friday are 6,662 cases and 158 deaths. The state's pandemic totals on Friday are 712,057 cases and 13,056 deaths.