BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Health reported 31 additional cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 Friday afternoon. Since Louisiana's first known Omicron case on Dec. 3, the state's total number has increased to 124.

Most cases of the variant were identified in the Greater New Orleans Area, and the Baton Rouge area has seen 14 infections. The state noted that none of these new cases have resulted in hospitalization.

The proportion of Omicron among circulating variants is 2.9% nationwide, according to the CDC. The health department predicts the transmission of Omicron will only increase, and they anticipate dramatic increase over the next few weeks.

The following is a breakdown of total cases by region:

• Region 1 (Greater New Orleans Area): 94 - 56 probable; 38 confirmed
• Region 2 (Baton Rouge Area): 14 - 11 probable; 3 confirmed
• Region 3 (South Central): 1 confirmed
• Region 4 (Acadiana): 3 - 2 probable; 1 confirmed
• Region 5 (Southwest): 1 probable
• Region 6 (Central): 1 probable
• Region 7 (Northwest): 6 - 1 probable; 5 confirmed
• Region 8 (Northshore): 4 - 2 probable; 2 confirmed

Not all cases of Omicron can be identified, which means there are likely more cases of Omicron occurring in Louisiana than are reflected in the above case counts.