- The Washington Times - Saturday, March 28, 2020

Louisiana is almost near capacity in treating patients infected with COVID-19, Sen. Bill Cassidy said Saturday.

The Louisiana Republican told Fox News his state cannot be lost with the focus on New York, which is currently the state with the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths

“We are almost on the verge of being at capacity,” Mr. Cassidy said. “We are about to overflow.”

The senator, who is also a medical doctor, said a U.S. Navy hospital ship like the ones being sent to Los Angeles and New York needs to be sent to the Port of New Orleans.

Meanwhile, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has warned that the state may run out of ventilators by April.

New Orleans has seen nearly 2,000 cases and is the state’s epicenter for the outbreak.

’I don’t want our state to be lost with all the attention on New York,” Mr. Cassidy said.

The lawmaker noted there should be an immune registry where people who have been infected but recovered can take the lead getting back in the workforce.

• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.

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