BATON ROUGE - Louisiana reported one of its largest single-day increases in coronavirus cases amid a new surge of infections spurred by the Omicron variant.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported 9,378 new cases on Wednesday, more than double the number of new cases reported a day earlier. The number of patients in hospitals also rose to 659, up from 514. 

Hospitalizations have more than tripled since Dec. 15, when there were 196 total patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state. 

The department also reported another five deaths, bringing the Louisiana's total since the start of the pandemic to 14,983.

Governor John Bel Edwards will hold a briefing at 1 p.m. Thursday to discuss the state's COVID protocols.