ANSWERED: Why did COVID-19 cases in Lafayette Parish drop?
The number of COVID-19 cases in Lafayette Parish dropped in the latest update from the Louisiana Department of Health, but it's not because there are actually fewer cases. Numbers from some of the commercial labs were duplicated in earlier counts and have been corrected. Lafayette Consolidated Government spokesman Jamie Angelle says you will likely see drops in other parishes today because the data is being corrected.
He responded to questions from KPEL News on Saturday afternoon:
Some parishes will see a decrease in numbers because there was some duplication of the lab reports by commercial labs yesterday. Those duplications have been addressed and removed, and should not occur again.
3/31 - 118
4/1 - 159
4/2 - 247
4/3 - 276
4/4 - 229
This week, there was a sharp spike in numbers statewide on Thursday. Governor John Bel Edwards explained that it was due to a backlog of tests at commercial labs. As of this writing, there have been 4.037 state lab tests and 49,608 commercial tests performed.
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