Louisiana governor: Stay home despite progress

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday that the state is seeing encouraging signs in its fight against coronavirus.

"Today, we are reporting 746 new cases and you can see that the total number of cases is now just over 17,000, it's 17,030. That's a little lower number than we've been seeing for our daily case growth," he said during the briefing.

But he cautioned that those numbers should not embolden people to stop distancing themselves from others. Numbers could start skyrocketing if people stop staying home.

"I want to again remind everyone that we cannot let our guard down because if we are seeing fewer cases, it is because of the efforts that we are making in order to minimize contact with other people," he said.

The state's health department says more than 17,000 people in Louisiana have confirmed virus infections. The death toll has reached 652.

Data also shows the virus's victims are disproportionately black. Two-thirds of those who have died had high blood pressure.

"Some disturbing statistics coming out of our analysis of the information we're getting in that is that while about 33 percent of the state's population is African-American, over 70 percent of the deaths in Louisiana because of COVID-19 are among African-Americans," Edwards said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.