St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Charles Preston cautions that the community may be on the cusp of another COVID surge.
According to LDH data released yesterday, there were 320 new COVID cases reported in St. Tammany Parish for every 100,000 residents last week. For every 100,000 residents, there were 16.8 hospital admissions last week. An estimated 64 percent of St. Tammany residents have had at least one vaccine shot.
“St. Tammany currently has one of the highest admission rates in the state,” Coroner Preston said. “When you look at all indicators, they suggest we are on the beginning of another spike, as had been predicted.”
Preston has instructed all Coroner’s Office staff to resume masking when in the facility, and visitors will be required to wear masks, also.
“Please remember COVID is potentially deadly, and if you are sick don’t go to work and risk infecting others,” he said. “If vaccination alone would work, New Orleans should have the lowest hospitalization rate – but it has one of the highest. Vaccination without masks, social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and isolation when sick will not succeed. This pandemic is not over.”
