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.