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WEDNESDAY: The state reported another 3,604 cases, bringing the total to 241,335 statewide. Officials said 1,551 were from backlogged tests, some dating back as far as April. 

There were 46 additional deaths, bringing the total to 6,501. Hospitalizations increased slightly to 1288, and ventilator use was up to 134.

Another 10,403 people were believed to have recovered in the past week.

TUESDAY: The state reported 5,326 additional cases, bringing the statewide total to 237,740. The state said some of the data recorded Tuesday should have actually been reported Nov. 29-30 but was delayed due to a "processing error."

There were 35 additional deaths, bringing the total to 6,455.

Hospitalizations rose to 1,280, and ventilator use increased to 128.

MONDAY: The state is reporting 171 additional cases after a low number of new tests, bringing the statewide total to 232,414. There were 13 additional deaths, a total of 6,420 statewide.

Hospitalizations rose to 1241, and ventilator use was at 125. 

WEEKEND: The state is reporting 1,641 new cases, a total of 232,245 statewide. The were 16 additional deaths, bringing the total to 6,407.

The below map is provided by the state and is updated at noon Sunday-Friday; Cases released by hospitals or local governments during the day are not reported in the map until the next reporting deadline.

The tabs at the bottom of the map can be used to navigate limited information about the patients, including age groups.

Cumulative case counts by parish, as of Wednesday (12/2):

Ascension: 5,896 cases / 108 deaths

Assumption: 1,037 cases / 25 deaths

East Baton Rouge: 20,565 cases / 518 deaths

East Feliciana: 2,171 cases / 84 deaths

Iberville: 2,089 cases / 65 deaths 

Livingston: 6,310 cases / 95 deaths

Pointe Coupee: 1,419 cases / 49 deaths 

St. Helena: 527 cases / 4 death

St. James: 1,011 cases / 40 deaths

Tangipahoa: 6,911 cases / 144 deaths

West Baton Rouge: 1,403 cases / 43 deaths

West Feliciana: 813 cases / 25 deaths

The state has launched a hotline to answer the public's questions about the virus. Anyone looking to use the service can dial 2-1-1 to be connected to the network. Written answers can be answered online at www.la211help.org.

Click here for more information from the CDC and LDH

HAPPENING NOW: EBR Sheriff’s Office is on the scene of a possible homicide investigation off of Skysail Avenue near Gardere. Authorities say a man was found dead inside this apartment. Details are few at the time as this is still a developing story. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/YUTQVBqh9G

— Nadeen Abusada (@NadeenAbusada) December 2, 2020

The deceased man's identity has not been released at this time and neither has EBRSO confirmed information related to any suspects who may have been involved.

An EBRSO-led investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, and this article will be updated as detectives reveal additional information. 

Up Next: After the showers and storms start-up late Wednesday, they will continue to be on and off through Thursday night. Temperatures on Thursday will be in the 60s. Overnight lows will be warmer too, in the 40s. The rest of the showers and storms will clear by Friday morning with temperatures in the upper 50s. Dry skies will stick around for the weekend with temperatures near 60 degrees during the day and 40 degrees overnight. Click here to see the 7-day forecast. 

Get right now weather conditions for your location on the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and Twitter for even more weather updates while you are on the go.

Other countries aren’t far behind: Regulators in the United States and the European Union also are vetting the Pfizer shot along with a similar vaccine made by competitor Moderna Inc. British regulators also are considering another shot made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Hancock said Britain expects to begin receiving the first shipment of 800,000 doses “within days,″ and people will begin receiving shots as soon as the National Health Service gets the vaccine.

Doses everywhere are scarce, and initial supplies will be rationed until more is manufactured in the first several months of next year.

A government committee will release details of vaccination priorities later Wednesday, but Hancock said nursing home residents, people over 80, and healthcare workers and other care workers will be the first to receive the shot.

Pfizer said it would immediately begin shipping limited supplies to the U.K. — and has been gearing up for even wider distribution if given a similar nod by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a decision expected as early as next week.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called the U.K. decision “a historic moment.”

“We are focusing on moving with the same level of urgency to safely supply a high-quality vaccine around the world,” Bourla said in a statement.

While the U.K. has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, enough for 20 million people, it’s not clear how many will arrive by year’s end. Hancock said the U.K. expects to receive “millions of doses” by the end of this year, adding that the actual number will depend on how fast Pfizer can produce the vaccine.

One concern about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is that it must be stored and shipped at ultra-cold temperatures of around minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit), adding to the challenge of distributing the vaccine around the world.

Pfizer says it has developed shipping containers that use dry ice to keep the vaccine cool. GPS-enabled sensors will allow the company to track each shipment and ensure they stay cold, the company says.

“Pfizer has vast experience and expertise in cold-chain shipping and has an established infrastructure to supply the vaccine worldwide, including distribution hubs that can store vaccine doses for up to six months,” the company said in a statement.

The company also says it has agreed to work with other vaccine makers to ensure there is sufficient supply and a range of vaccines, “including those suitable for global access.”

Every country has different rules for determining when an experimental vaccine is safe and effective enough to use. Intense political pressure to be the first to roll out a rigorously scientifically tested shot colored the race in the U.S. and Britain, even as researchers pledged to cut no corners. In contrast, China and Russia have offered different vaccinations to their citizens ahead of late-stage testing.

The shots made by U.S.-based Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech were tested in tens of thousands of people. And while that study isn’t complete, early results suggest the vaccine is 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease. The companies told regulators that of the first 170 infections detected in study volunteers, only eight were among people who’d received the actual vaccine and the rest had gotten a dummy shot.

“This is an extraordinarily strong protection,” Dr. Ugur Sahin, BioNTech’s CEO, recently told The Associated Press.

The companies also reported no serious side effects, although vaccine recipients may experience temporary pain and flu-like reactions immediately after injections.

Final testing must still be completed. Still to be determined is whether the Pfizer-BioNTech shots protect against people spreading the coronavirus without showing symptoms. Another question is how long protection lasts.

The vaccine also has been tested in only a small number of children, none younger than 12, and there’s no information on its effects in pregnant women.