Many of us have grown weary of the pandemic, have chosen to ignore it, to forgo fear of it in favor of a more laissez-faire attitude just to maintain our sanity.
However, the pandemic is still here. And it’s growing worse.
This was made all too apparent through data released by the Louisiana Department of Health today that there were 3,372 COVID-19 cases reported in the state since January 7, 2021. This brings Louisiana’s total reported COVID-19 cases to 341,431.
Even more stunning is the fact that the Louisiana Department of Health also reported 105 deaths from COVID-19 today, which is the second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths reported in a single day in Louisiana. The only day with a higher number of deaths was April 14, 2020 when 129 deaths were reported.
Today’s stark tally of deaths brings the total number of deaths in Louisiana since the outbreak began in March to 7,833 people. It’s discouraging, especially considering how much more we know about combating the severe symptoms of COVID-19 now compared to in April.
The Louisiana Department of Health followed up the report with a tweet that stated, “97% of the cases reported to the state today were community spread. 3% of the cases reported to the state today were in congregate settings. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 (19%) and between the ages of 30 and 39 (15%) account for 34% of these cases.”
Our state is drowning when it comes to coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. It doesn’t help that the weather has turned cool, so we’ve all been forced inside. We all have pandemic fatigue and are tired of being isolated. We face a light at the end of the tunnel with a vaccine, but a long timeline before we all get it.
Also, the attention of our representatives, Senator John Kennedy, Representative Steve Scalise, Representative Clay Higgins, Representative Mike Johnson, and Representative Garret Graves, has been monopolized by such fruitless pursuits as trying to overturn a fair election with no evidence against it that it was fraudulent.
Our lawmaker’s attention is off COVID-19, and so is the people’s. We need to recommit to wearing masks, socially distancing, and stopping the spread. All else right now should come second unless we want the death toll in our state to keep escalating.
