LDH: 48 additional Omicron variant cases in Louisiana

The South African doctor who alerted officials of the possibility of a new variant, later named omicron, said the “unusual but mild” symptoms were what caught her attention. (Photo: Getty Images)

by: Matthew Stephens

Posted: Dec 16, 2021 / 12:35 PM AST

Updated: Dec 16, 2021 / 12:35 PM AST

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

BATON ROUGE, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — The Louisiana Department of Health has announced 48 additional cases of the Omicron variant, bringing the total number of cases to 93.

Six of those new cases are in Northwest Louisiana, including four the LDH says are confirmed.

The first confirmed Omicron case in Louisiana was identified on December 3. None of the new cases have required hospitalization.

The following is the LDH’s total breakdown of cases by region:

Region 1 (Greater New Orleans Area): 71-81 probable; 10 confirmed
Region 2 (Baton Rouge Area): 3 probable
Region 4 (Acadiana): 1 confirmed
Region 7 (Northwest): 2-6 probable; 4 confirmed
Region 9 (Northshore): 1-2 probable; 1 confirmed

According to the LDH, not all cases of Omicron can be identified, which means that there are many more cases of Omicron occurring in Louisiana than are reflected in our case counts. Within our state, Omicron outbreaks have been identified in universities, and cases have been identified in high-risk settings such as K-12 schools and nursing homes.

The CDC estimates that the proportion of Omicron among circulating variants is currently 2.9% nationwide. Louisiana estimates that the proportion of Omicron among LA variants is 4.3% for the week ending December 4.

The LDH recommends getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and getting tested before traveling or gathering to prevent the spread of the variant.