Weekend update for Feb. 28: 28 new cases out of 291 tests

Avoyelles had another double-digit increase in COVID cases since Friday's report, but the number of new cases in the parish is very similar to the increase in cases at the state prison in Cottonport. The Louisiana Department of Health's daily updates do not include information on the location of the new cases. However, the Department of Corrections releases a daily update to track its anti-COVID efforts. Since inmates are Avoyelles Parish residents, the prison's numbers are included in the overall totals for the parish.

Avoyelles had 28 new cases in tests results released for Saturday and Sunday. Raymond Laborde Correctional Center had 26 more active COVID cases Sunday than it had Friday.

Of the parish's new cases, 24 positive results were among 254 molecular tests and four were in 37 rapid result tests.

Since March 2020, Avoyelles has had 3,924 cases of COVID -- 3,454 "confirmed" by lab tests and 470 diagnosed with rapid result tests. The 11-month death toll is 117, which has remained the same since Feb. 12.