Louisiana sets a new state record for daily Covid-19 cases.
At least 14,077 Covid-19 cases were recorded in Louisiana on Thursday, a new high for the state in a 24-hour period, according to Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Do not go to the emergency room for Covid-19 testing, according to Louisiana State Health Officer and Medical Director Dr. Joseph Kanter, to avoid further burdening hospitals.
He agreed that take-home tests can be difficult to come by in the state, but said that PCR testing laboratories are open and available and that if someone has symptoms and is unable to obtain a test, they should presume they have Covid-19.
"In the context of the current spike, if someone is seeking for an antigen test, a take-home test, and they can't locate it, but they have symptoms, they should just presume they have Covid and isolate accordingly," Kanter said. "If you have trouble getting a test, especially a take-home test, and you have symptoms, the prudent thing to do is just assume you have Covid and isolate away from other people when you're in a surge like we are right now and Covid is everywhere—and it is everywhere right now—the prudent thing to do is just assume you have Covid and isolate away from other people." Right now, that's the safest option."
Here's some background: According to the governor, 1,412 people have been hospitalized in Louisiana due to Covid-19, an increase of 125 since Wednesday.
"The number of emergency room visits attributable to Covid-like sickness is at an all-time high." "Across the state of Louisiana, the average daily incidence of Covid has exceeded its Delta surge peak," the governor declared. "Reinfections, which we are seeing more of due of the Omicron variation than before, are not yet documented on our Covid dashboard."
At the news conference, Kanter stated that 76 percent of individuals hospitalized with Covid-19 have not been vaccinated.
Source CNN
