By Cyndi Sellers

Cameron Parish is no longer in the low-risk category for COVID-19. Current numbers from the Louisiana Department of Health place this parish, along with all the rest of the state, in the highest risk category. Cameron Parish’s percentage of positive tests rose from 14 percent to 18 percent during the third week of week of July, a 28.57 percent increase. The incidence rate has risen 15.7 percent in a week. There have been 688 confirmed or probable cases and seven deaths from COVID in the parish.

Statewide, the number of cases and the number of patients on ventilators are ten times higher than they were at the beginning of the summer. Some hospitals are having to call in the federal government for assistance in coping with the flood of serious cases. Some are running out of ICU beds; some are running out of patient beds. Region 5, SWLA, has only 2 ICU beds available for critical cases according to the LDH website.

Records show that 90 percent of the new cases, 84 percent of deaths, and 90 percent of hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people. The highest number of cases are now in the 18-29 age group, followed by 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 5-17.