Of the 13 parishes in Louisiana with the highest death rates, 10 lie along the industrial corridor that lines the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge down to the river’s mouth. And notably, every parish along the river from Plaquemines to West Baton Rouge is among the top 50 in coronavirus deaths per capita – save for East Baton Rouge, which is ranked No. 52.
Christiaan Mader
Christiaan Mader founded The Current in 2018, reviving the brand from a short-lived culture magazine he created for Lafayette publisher INDMedia. An award-winning investigative and culture journalist, Christiaan’s work as a writer and reporter has appeared in The New York Times, Vice, Offbeat, Gambit, and The Advocate.
A closely watched model of the coronavirus pandemic showed a dramatic shift for the better in Louisiana overnight, but changes to the methodology used by researchers suggest that it might be too early to celebrate.
The hotel, which is the city’s fourth-largest with 1,110 rooms, joins the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in providing large-scale space that can be converted into overflow facilities for patients who are infected with the pathogen but no longer need hospital care.
The first 1,000 beds at the Convention Center are expected to be ready Monday, and Gov. John Bel Edwards has mandated that an additional 1,000 beds be installed there.
Lafayette charities fear wave of need as thousands apply for unemployment related to coronavirus
Programs typically strained in normal circumstances are poised to be slammed from two sides, as job losses surge people into unprecedented vulnerability and contributions dry up.
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The ambitious $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program passed by Congress one week ago to help small businesses weather the coronavirus crisis rolls out this morning amid confusion and mixed signals.
Updated federal guidelines for the program were not issued until late Thursday night in a 31-page “interim final rules” document, just hours before the PPP was supposed to begin accepting applications, and most banks are still not ready.
Source: Banks urge patience as PPP rollout gets off to a rocky start
Ochsner Health System officials will soon begin using rapid COVID-19 tests in their emergency rooms and other areas to screen out patients who have the disease, they said Thursday.
The tests by Abbott Laboratories were cleared by the Food and Drug Administration last week and were shipped to hospitals beginning Wednesday. Ochsner has received some of the tests kits as of Thursday. The 5-minute test joins another 45-minute test in Ochsner’s stockpile and the same-day tests it has had for weeks.
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in Acadiana, state health officials on Thursday released new data showing in the seven-parish region that includes Lafayette, more than half the ventilators are in use and 81% of hospital intensive care unit beds are in use.
The New Orleans area is about two weeks ahead of Acadiana in the progression of the coronavirus pandemic, this region’s top public health official said Monday. If the number of cases and number of hospital admissions continue to grow, she said, in a few weeks Acadiana’s health care system could be “severely impacted.”
Nearly 1,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 at the Cajundome since March 18, but some still haven’t gotten their results back two weeks later.
Source: Coronavirus test results delayed for some tested at Cajundome
Lafayette residents aren’t facing evictions, but what happens when the bills and rent come due after coronavirus goes away?
Compassionate policies will keep the lights on and people in their homes. Community advocates worry about the other foot dropping when the pandemic is over.
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Health officials: It’s ‘still early’ in Lafayette’s coronavirus outbreak
Confirmed cases continue to surge in Acadiana, reaching 274 per the Louisiana Department of Health’s noon update.
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Hang tight, Lafayette, the money is coming
Everyone expected dollars would start flowing at the stroke of a pen, but the size and scope of the bill means there’s more to iron out, even as the federal government works to turn on the taps quickly.
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Data suggests that coronavirus cases are slowing, but a trend isn’t well established yet. Researchers are reluctant to say the worst is behind New Orleans. During the breakout in Wuhan, a five-day dip in new cases preceded a massive spike.