BATON ROUGE - On Wednesday, Louisiana reported one of the largest single-day increases in new coronavirus cases since the onset of the pandemic. 

A total of 5,388 new cases were reported in the Louisiana Department of Health's newest daily update. The positivity rate on those tests was around 16.35 percent. A day earlier, the state was reporting 1,546 news cases, with a positivity rate just below 14 percent. 

State officials said the count Wednesday is the third highest single-day spike since the start of the pandemic last year. 

Louisiana's health department said last week that 97 percent of the state's COVID cases and hospitalizations reported since February 2021 have been in people who were not fully vaccinated. Specific data related to Wednesday's new cases was not immediately available. 

Of the more than 5,000 new cases, 44 percent was reported in people ages 18 to 39. A quarter of the total new cases was found in people ages 18 to 29. 

99% of the cases reported to the state today were community spread.

1% of the cases reported to the state today were in congregate settings.

Individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 (25%) and 30 and 39 (19%) account for the largest portion of these cases.

— Louisiana Department of Health (@LADeptHealth) July 21, 2021

Hospitals are also reporting a sustained surge in new patients this month. At the start of July, 259 patients were hospitalized with COVID statewide. That number is up to 844 as of Wednesday, July 21.