Health
There are good reasons Black people don’t trust health institutions, but I still got the vaccine
By Maurice Sholas, M.D., Ph.D. “To make people trust, you need to become trustworthy…. I think if…communities were engaged in conversation… people would know: ‘You are hearing me, you are respecting my right to ask questions and get a legitimate answer. So now let me make up my own mind’…. If we approach it […]
Attending LSU basketball games more dangerous than attending football games, epidemiologist warns
An announced plan to limit the stands at LSU basketball’s games to 25 percent capacity is not restrictive enough to adequately prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, an infectious disease expert says, but interim LSU President Tom Galligan said the actual capacity will likely be between 16 to 18 percent when social distancing rules […]
John Bel Edwards plans to get the COVID-19 vaccine — but he doesn’t know when
Gov. John Bel Edwards and his family will get the COVID-19 vaccine eventually, but he isn’t sure when that will happen yet. “All the members of my family are going to get it as soon as we are in the order of priority that’s being vaccinated,” Edwards said on his monthly call-in radio show Wednesday. […]
Mass COVID-19 vaccine distribution ‘could take some time’ as hospitalizations surge
The Pfizer vaccine may be coming to Louisiana as soon as this weekend, but mass distribution is still several months away, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. “Everybody needs to have that clear expectation from the outset,” Edwards said. “It’s really important that we start administering the vaccine, but it’s […]
When can children get the COVID-19 vaccine? 5 questions parents are asking
Wesley Kufel, Binghamton University, State University of New York The first U.S. COVID-19 vaccines are expected in clinics in mid-December, and states are drawing up plans for who should get vaccinated first. But one important group is absent: children. While two vaccines are expected to be cleared soon for adult use in the U.S., testing […]
Shorter quarantine available to school kids exposed to COVID-19
The Louisiana Department of Education on Monday adopted a new policy — based on guidance from the federal government — that allows those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 to shorten their quarantine period from 14 to 10 days. If the exposed person receives a negative COVID-19 test, the quarantine period can be reduced […]
Louisiana state treasurer released from hospital
Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder has returned home Friday after being hospitalized with complications from COVID-19. “I’m feeling much better and want to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for me. Health care workers are the true heroes of this pandemic,” Schroder said in a written statement. Schroder’s office announced the treasurer, 59, had […]
Will Louisiana residents line up for the vaccine or wait and see?
With the first batch of a COVID-19 vaccine expected to arrive in Louisiana over the next two weeks and for wider distribution by spring, will Louisiana residents immediately take advantage of it or hold off due to concerns over the experimental drug’s speedy approval? On Nov. 19, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that Louisiana could […]
Lafayette area ICU hospital beds are at 97 percent capacity
The Lafayette area’s ICU hospital beds are at 97 percent capacity, meaning only four beds are available in the region, the Louisiana Department of Health reported Wednesday . However, a spokesperson for Lafayette General Health — one of the region’s local hospitals — said LDH’s numbers can be “a little misleading.” Patricia Thompson, director of […]
CDC panel advises states to prioritize health care workers, nursing home residents for COVID-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — Health care workers and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities would be the first people in the U.S. to receive COVID-19 vaccines under recommendations approved Tuesday by a federal advisory committee. It will be up to each state to determine how exactly to distribute doses of the vaccines, which could […]
Quarantine rules irk Louisiana school superintendents
Some Louisiana public school superintendents are asking state legislators to reduce the 14-day quarantine period that is required of students who come into close contact with someone on campus who tests positive for COVID-19. The House Committee on Health and Welfare met Monday to discuss the Louisiana Department of Health’s emergency rule regarding quarantine procedures […]
Black Louisiana residents are worse off than White Louisiana residents, report finds
A Human Development report of Louisiana found major disparities in quality of life between Black and White Louisiana residents, and gaps between Louisianans and the rest of the country. A Portrait of Louisiana 2020: Human Development in an Age of Uncertainty, a new report from Measure of America, directed and authored by Kristen Lewis, uses the American […]