NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana’s coronavirus cases have topped 4,000, an increase Monday of almost 14%, double the rate of the previous 24 hours but still well below the big spikes the epicenter state saw last week, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
In the latest figures released at noon, the state had 4,025 cases and the death toll attributed to coronavirus mounted to 185, a 22% increase from the previous day’s tally, the LDH said.
Of that total, 1,158 are hospitalized with a third of them, 385, requiring ventilators.
The number of health care workers certified to work with ventilators in the state is unclear, but the fact the state will need more at the current rate of infection is not, Gov. John Bel Edwards has said repeatedly.
In a live briefing Monday afternoon, Gov. Edwards said every conceivable business model shows the state’s surge capacity exceeding its health care infrastructure. At current rates, he said Louisiana would need more ventilators on April 5 and hospital beds by April 12.
Against the latest figures, Amneal Pharmaceuticals announced Monday morning they would donate 400,000 hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to hard-hit Louisiana. That drug, along with some other anti-malarial medication and antibiotics, has shown promise in helping coronavirus victims recover in limited trials.
Like other viruses in its family, COVID-19 attacks the lungs, making drugs that treat pulmonary issues likely fighters in the world’s frantic effort to contain the bug that first infected humans in Wuhan, China, last year.
The Louisiana State University School of Medicine is launching two clinical trials with hydoxychloroquine, one of which will “use and test the drug as a preventive measure for those health care workers on the front lines battling the epidemic,” state officials said. The trials will be held at LSU hospitals in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
New Orleans and adjoining Jefferson Parish remain the worst hit pockets of the state, accounting for nearly half of all cases and the majority of deaths.
In one disquieting trend, the number of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in which coronavirus clusters have been identified rose to 28, the LDH said. While that represents just a fraction of the 436 such facilities in Louisiana it is nearly triple the 11 such spots identified in updates before the weekend.
Coronavirus continues to stalk the elderly and the sick with special virulence, Louisiana’s example shows. Only 3% of the state’s deceased had no prior medical conditions, compared to those who were previously suffering from diabetes (40%), obesity (25%), chronic kidney disease (23%) and cardiac issues (21%).
• James Varney can be reached at jvarney@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.