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RESERVE — The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs reported Wednesday that 28 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home in Reserve. Of these individuals, 18 have passed away, and four have recovered from illness.

COVID-19 testing is now available for every resident in the facility through a partnership with the Office of Public Health and St. James Parish Hospital. Testing began Tuesday at the recommendation of the medical director, and the resident’s families will continue to receive updates throughout the process.

Brandee Patrick, director of communications for the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, anticipates testing will be completed this week for all residents. Results are expected within three to five days from the time the test was conducted.

Up until this week, residents received testing when recommended by a physician. Patrick said the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home continues to follow all CDC protocols as well as physician recommendations in the testing and treatment of each resident.

The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs is in constant contact with all veteran home residents and their families.

“We thank our families and our community for their constant support and encouragement during this time, and we continue to facilitate electronic visits for veterans with their families,” Patrick said.

The Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home is located at 4080 W. Airline Highway in Reserve.

As of the Friday report from the Louisiana Department of Health, there have been 623 reported cases of COVID-19 and 50 deaths in St. John the Baptist Parish.

St. Charles Parish had 471 reported cases and 26 deaths, while St. James has 216 reported cases and 14 deaths.

Statewide, there were 23,118 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across all 64 parishes. As of Friday, there were 1,213 deaths. The first death in the state was reported on March 14.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, there are 1,868 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the state. Of these patients, 363 are on ventilators.