Tuesday COVID update: 13 new cases out of 175 tests, no additional deaths

Avoyelles Parish had a slight uptick in the number of COVID tests in the Tuesday update from the state, which health care officials say helps give a better picture of the virus' presences in the parish. However, in this one-day example, it was a picture that was both unexpected and unwanted as the parish returned to the days of double-digit increases in new cases.

In the three-day report released on Monday, the parish had only seven cases in 93 tests -- just over two new cases per day. From Monday to Tuesday, the report reviewed 175 tests with 13 positive results. There were no additional COVID-related deaths.

The Tuesday report found six new infections in the 91 lab test results -- a one-day positive rate the state uses in computing the parish's official weekly positive rate -- of almost 6.6 percent. There were seven diagnoses among the 84 rapid result tests, for an 8.3 percent positive rate. The combined rate is 7.4 percent.

The parish's current official positive rate as of last Wednesday, for the seven-day period of May 6-12, is 3.4 percent. The official rate, based on results of May 13-19, will be released Wednesday.

For the weekend report, the parish had a total positive percent of 7.5 percent -- seven cases in 93 tests. The lab test rate was 5.9 -- five cases in 87 tests. There were two positives in only six rapid result tests for those three days.

As of Tuesday, the parish's pandemic total was 4,266 cases (3,706 "confirmed" and 560 "probable") and 123 deaths (115 / 8). The state totals were 469,445 cases and 10,548 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.