East Baton Rouge Parish logged 30 new cases of coronavirus and four new deaths on Wednesday, state health officials and the coroner said.

The parish has 1,325 diagnosed cases and 69 deaths as the statewide death toll surged again.

Diagnosed cases statewide climbed by 433 to a total of 21,951 while 90 more deaths were reported across Louisiana, bringing the state's coronavirus death toll to 1,103. The state has reported 219 coronavirus-related deaths in its past two updates, surpassing the previous two-day high of 140 from April 7 to 8.

In the Baton Rouge area, deaths jumped on Wednesday by 13 to 169 fatalities from the COVID-19 respiratory illness, according to the state and local coroners. The increase followed 36 additional deaths being reported in the prior two days.

East Baton Rouge had more than two-fifths of the region's deaths. The next closest parish in deaths was Ascension, with 27.

Epidemiologists have pointed out that the deaths from COVID-19 would lag behind the virus's spread, as people moved from infection to becoming symptomatic to hospitalization and death. A recent study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that, in China, the amount of time it took for someone who entered the hospital to die was estimated at 11.2 days. The same study found it took 11.5 days to recover after hospitalization.

In the Baton Rouge area, the rising death tally comes as the growth in new cases continues a slowing trend. Total cases in the 12-parish area hit 3,184, a 2.7% increase from the day before. Eight days ago, the rate of growth in new cases for the area was three times faster. In East Baton Rouge, the number of new cases grew by 2.3% on Wednesday.

State officials and experts have attributed the state's stay-at-home order and other social distancing measures for the slipping number of new cases even as coronavirus testing has ramped up across the region.

Louisiana's total hospitalizations due to the virus continued to decline, according to the update from the Louisiana Department of Health. There are 1,943 patients hospitalized across Louisiana, down from 1,977 on Tuesday. Of those patients, 425 are on ventilators, down by 11 from Tuesday.

Wednesday totals for Louisiana

(Day-over-day change in parentheses)

Diagnosed cases : 21,951 (up 433 from 21,518)

: 21,951 (up 433 from 21,518) Deaths : 1,103 (up 90 from 1,013)

: 1,103 (up 90 from 1,013) Patients in hospitals : 1,943 (down 34 from 1,977

: 1,943 (down 34 from 1,977 Patients on ventilators : 425 (down 11 from 436)

: 425 (down 11 from 436) State tests completed : 5,817 (up 136 from 5,681)

: 5,817 (up 136 from 5,681) Commercial tests completed: 116,111 (up 3,370 from 112,741)

Four more coronavirus deaths in Baton Rouge brings parish total to 69, coroner says An additional four East Baton Rouge residents have died from coronavirus, bringing the parish total to 69, the coroner's office announced Wedn…

Wednesday totals for East Baton Rouge

(Day-over-day change in parentheses)

Diagnosed cases : 1,325 cases (up 30 from 1,295)

: 1,325 cases (up 30 from 1,295) Deaths : 69 (up 4 from 65)

: 69 (up 4 from 65) State lab tests : 517 (up 11 from 506)

: 517 (up 11 from 506) Commercial tests: 7,865 (up 199 from 7,666)

See our coronavirus tracking map here.

Check back for updates