Coronavirus Has Now Killed More People in New Orleans Than Gun Violence in All of 2019
We all know how bad of a problem gun violence is in New Orleans. It seems every day we're hearing of someone being shot and killed.
The coronavirus in the Crescent City has been worse than that.
According to an analysis by The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate, the number of deaths connected to the novel coronavirus has surpassed the number of 2019 homicide victims in metro New Orleans.
As of Thursday, Orleans Parish's 125 deaths (which happened in one month's time) eclipsed the 120 that were killed by gun violence in 2019. Louisiana Department of Health officials now have the COVID-19 death total for New Orleans at 161 as of Sunday.
Jefferson Parish's death count topped its 2019 homicide count on Tuesday, while St. Tammany surpassed theirs on Saturday.
Below are the deaths associated with COVID-19 vs. homicide victims in 2019. (The first number is COVID-19 deaths and the number in parentheses indicate homicide victims.)
Orleans Parish: 161 (120)
Jefferson Parish: 113 (48)
St. Tammany Parish: 12 (11)
St. John the Baptist Parish: 24 (10)
St. Charles Parish: 13 (4)
As you can see, smaller parishes that surround New Orleans, such as St. Charles and St. John the Baptist, had their handful of killings far outnumbered by the deadly virus by Tuesday.
The death toll in the state has reached 477 as of Sunday. According to statistical models, up to 3,100 Louisiana residents could die from COVID-19 by early May.