Amid concerns that hospitals in the Acadiana area are now treating record numbers of coronavirus patients — Region 4 had 126 patients Wednesday, one higher than the record set April 10 — the chief medical officers at Lafayette General Health and Our Lourdes of Lourdes’ local system issued a joint video statement Wednesday.
This week the region and its largest parish also set new records for daily cases, The Acadiana Advocate reported today. Lafayette Parish recorded 201 cases on Wednesday, far exceeding the 152 recorded on June 13 – a day when the addition of old test results inflated the case count. Region 4 added 358 new cases, surpassing the previous record on June 23 by four.
On Tuesday, according to reports obtained by The Current, Lafayette General Medical Center had 50 inpatients, Our Lady of Lourdes had 37, University Hospital & Clinics and Opelousas General Health System each had nine, Iberia Medical Center had six, Mercy Regional Medical Center and Acadian Medical Center each had four, Savoy Medical Center and Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s each had two, and Acadia General Hospital had one. By contrast, Region 1, which includes New Orleans, had 94 inpatients Tuesday, and Region 7, which includes Shreveport, had 196. (The Current was unable to obtain Wednesday’s report, but it is unlikely the numbers have changed significantly.)
What’s noteworthy, however, is that ICU beds and ventilator usage remains manageable across the board in Acadiana today, with 131 vents available and 49 in use.
As of today, Our Lady of Lourdes is still operating in Phase 1 of its surge plan but quickly approaching Phase 2. Lafayette General Health is operating in Phase 2 effective today. Visitor guidelines have the potential to change during surge operations. Beginning today, LGH is no longer allowing visitors, with some exceptions. View Lourdes’ updated policy here.
Visitors must be free from any COVID-19 like symptoms and be prepared to mask for the duration of their visit.
In a first-of-its-kind joint statement, the area’s largest hospital systems are asking for public support of masking, and more effective efforts for exposure quarantining and social distancing to help stop community spread of the virus.
View the video message, filmed late Monday by LGH CMO Dr. Amanda Logue and Lourdes CMO Dr. Henry Kaufman, below: