By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editorOPIATE O.D.: Facing a proliferation of the potent opiate fentanyl, along with isolating lockdowns and other stressors related to the coronavirus pandemic, Louisiana endured the country's fifth-worst surge in drug overdose deaths last year, the federal government said Wednesday. About 1,930 people died of drug overdoses in Louisiana in 2020 - an increase of almost 48%.
COVID COMES BACK: COVID-19 is again on the rise in Louisiana as state officials urge residents to get vaccinated to stave off the rapidly spreading delta variant. The state Health Department this week reported the most new coronavirus cases in Louisiana since mid-February, a time when vaccines weren't available to a broad section of the population and the country was emerging from a crushing winter surge. Officials warned that the virus’s more-transmissible delta variant, first detected in India, is running rampant among unvaccinated residents and hospitals are reporting growing patient numbers. In part to stress the importance of vaccinations in an under-vaccinated state, Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris visited New Orleans and Belle Chasse on Wednesday.
OFF THE DOLE: Louisiana will cut off jobless benefits for almost 100,000 self-employed residents beginning in August, prematurely ending a federal program that has helped musicians, contractors and so-called “gig workers” avoid financial ruin amid the economic turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic. For those who remain on the state's unemployment rolls next month, weekly benefits will be slashed in half.
All this and much more are in today’s Front Page and on NOLA.com. Thanks for starting your day with us. D.B. | 
