Louisiana reports 70 new COVID deaths today, the new single day high for fatalities, along with now having over 16,000 confirmed cases, and just under 2,000 COVID hospitalizations, 519 of those patients being on ventilators. Two thirds of the cases are still being reported in the New Orleans region, but Shreveport/Bossier and Baton Rouge have a growing caseload. Tensas Parish remains the only parish to not to have a reported case.

The ongoing crisis is crippling the economy and putting a growing number of Americans out of a job, depriving them of the ability to pay their rent. Staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Hannah Adams says the Governor made it illegal to evict people at least through April, and if your landlord is threating to call the police and have you evicted, just know that’s not within their jurisdiction.

Cut 4 (11)_ “…they can handle.”

Texas is maintaining it’s policy of quarantining visitors from out of state that cross into Texas, and having troopers stop some drivers at the border with Louisiana. Governor Edwards says restricted travel is playing a big part in lowering transmission rates, which is why he isn’t faulting Texas’s governor for screening some drivers who cross state lines.

Cut 15 (12)“…just not.”

A survey from Public Policy Polling shows 68 percent of Louisianans approve of Governor Edwards’ handling of the coronavirus crisis and 66 percent now approve of his job performance overall. UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says the splits show a surprising 56 to 25 percent approval/disapproval from state Republicans when asked how he’s handling the crisis.

Cut 12 (07) “…as well.”

Edwards’ overall approval sits at 49 percent among Republicans.

New federal projections have cut Louisiana’s estimation of total COVID-19 deaths by over 50%. Initial projections said 1,800 Louisianans would die of the disease. The current model estimates 800 fatalities. But Governor John Bel Edwards says now is not the time to get complacent.

Cut 14 (12) “answer.”

Attorney Jeff Landry announces Louisiana is receiving 8,000 packs of azithromycin, and 75,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets, a treatment that some speculate could help treat COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial that is now used to treat other conditions such as Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. There’s fear those patients could find the drugs in short supply, but…

Cut 9 (12) “…hydroxycloroquine″

The ACLU is suing Oakdale Federal Prison for the release of inmates that are most at-risk for COVID-19. ACLU of Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms Hebert says in order for the facility to be compliant with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines, the prison needs to be relieved of some of the 1,800 inmates.  US Attorney General William Barr issued a directive last week to reduce prison populations, but the ACLU feels the process is going too slow.

Cut 11 (12) “…de-densify that facility.”

Landlords may not be able to legally evict tenants due to Louisiana’s stay-at-home order through April 30th, but that does not excuse someone from paying rent.  Staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Hannah Adams says tenants have legal protection from a landlord’s retaliation for not paying rent.

Cut 3 (11)  “…from the home.”  

Governor Edwards says new data indicates the state may be beginning to flatten the curve of new infections, and that if we can just keep staying home and practicing proper hygiene that the state could avoid what was once a worst-case scenario of 1,800 COVID deaths. The Governor also credited healthcare workers for reducing the average amount of time patients stay on ventilators.

Cut 13 (07) “…good thing.”

If we maintain the current mitigation measures through June 1^st, a CDC model estimates 800 COVID fatalities in the state.

LSU Health Shreveport is running trials to test whether or not nitric oxide could be effective for healing lungs damaged by COVID-19. Professor of Pediatrics, Surgery & Medicine Dr. Keith Scott says the treatment is FDA approved for other diseases, readily available in hospitals, and potentially effective.

Cut 6 (10) “the real goal.”

Following the deaths of five prisoners, the ACLU is suing Oakdale Federal Prison for the release of inmates that are most at-risk for COVID-19. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

Polling from Public Policy Polling shows Louisianans are quite happy with Governor Edwards response to the COVID crisis. 68 percent of respondents approved of the Governor’s handling, while only 16 percent disapproved. The poll also showed only 5 percent of Louisianans are “not that concerned” about coronavirus and it’s impacts.

The state health department releases data that shows black patients are dying at a much higher rate than whites from the coronavirus. Governor John Bel Edwards announced the new information during his daily COVID-19 briefing…
cut 16 (11) “…state”
Also, hypertension leads the list of underlying health conditions of Louisiana residents who died from the coronavirus.

A lawsuit seeks the release of inmates at the federal prison in Oakdale who are most at-risk for COVID-19. The facility has seen five inmates die from the virus and others have become critically ill. ACLU of Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms Hebert…
Cut 10 (11) “…to be released.”
The federal Bureau of Prisons has not responded publically to the lawsuit.

LSU Health Shreveport is testing the impact of using inhaled nitric oxide on COVID-19 patients with severely damaged lungs. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (33) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

A White House model dramatically reduces the number of expected deaths in Louisiana from COVID-19. The previous projection pegged the expected deaths from the virus at 1,834, now they have at it 746. And researchers say the daily number of COVID-19 deaths may have already peaked and could slow to a halt by the last week of April.

Governor John Bel Edwards says new data shows potentially good news in Louisiana’s fight against the spread of the coronavirus…
voicer 3 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Louisiana is reporting just under 15-hundred COVID-19 cases and 512 deaths. The state health department has released a racial breakdown of the fatalities and 70-percent of Louisianans killed so far have been African-American. Also, the leading underlying health condition is hypertension.

Attorney General Jeff Landry announces Louisiana has secured additional COVID-19 medications. Teva Pharmaceuticals is donating eight-thousand packs of azithromycin and 75-thousand tablets of hydroxychloroquine to Louisiana. This is in addition to the 400-thousand tablets of hydroxychloroquine donated last week…
cut 8 (06) “..wand”
Some medical professionals say there has not been enough evidence to determine that these drugs actually work against COVID-19.

A lawsuit has been filed seeking for the release of hundreds of high-risk inmates at the Oakdale federal prison in Allen Parish. Five prisoners at the facility have died from COVID-19. ACLU of Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms Hebert says Governor Edwards should take action too…
cut 12 (13) “…to see that”
A New Orleans drug gang leader was fatally shot Sunday after he was released from the Orleans Parish Jail due to the coronavirus threat.

Governor John Bel Edwards says they are starting to see signs that mitigation measures are working. Edwards says based on the latest hospital admission and death rates Louisiana may have started to flatten the curve. But the governor says now is not the time to get complacent…
cut 14 (12) “…answer”
Meanwhile, checkpoints have been set up in Texas as State Troopers are screening drivers and asking Louisiana residents entering the Lone Star state to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving. Edwards doesn’t blame Governor Greg Abbott for taking this measure…
cut 15 (12) “….just not”

Attorney General Jeff Landry announces Louisiana is receiving 8,000 packs of azithromycin, and 75,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets, a treatment that some speculate could help treat COVID-19. The treatment doesn’t have FDA backing yet, but Landry says many doctors are prescribing these drugs to COVID patients.
Cut 7 (07) “hospitalization”

LSU Health Shreveport is participating in a clinical trial to see if nitric oxide can help the lungs of a COVID-19 patient. Professor of Pediatrics, surgery, and medicine, Doctor Keith Scott…
cut 5 (09) “…to try this”
Scott says nitric oxide is already FDA-approved for therapy with other types of respiratory failure and most hospitals already have the treatment readily available.

Even though Louisiana is approaching 15-thousand coronavirus cases and has surpassed 500 deaths, Governor John Bel Edwards believes Louisiana may have begun to flatten the curve in its battle against the spread of COVID-19. Edwards says the state is no longer on track to run out of ventilators or hospital beds in the New Orleans region this week…
cut 13 (07) “…good thing”

LSU Health Shreveport is testing the impact of using inhaled nitric oxide on COVID-19 patients with severely damaged lungs. Professor of Pediatrics, Surgery & Medicine Dr. Keith Scott says treatment with the gas could potentially kill coronavirus in the lungs and improve oxygen delivery to injured tissue.
Cut 4 (10)_ “…anti-viral activity.”
The study is a collaboration with two other institutions in the US and sites in Europe.

Following the deaths of five prisoners, the ACLU is suing Oakdale Federal Prison in Allen Parish for the release of inmates that are most at-risk for COVID-19. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Governor Edwards says recent numbers indicate the state may be flattening the curve of new coronavirus infections, and we could be dodging a doomsday scenario where the New Orleans region runs out of healthcare capacity.

He also noted hypertension is now the clear leading underlying condition in COVID-19 fatalities, along with data that suggests a disturbing racial disparity. 70 percent of COVID deaths in the state were African Americans, who only make up 32 percent of the state’s population.

The state also reported a fatality for a newborn related to COVID-19. The East Baton Rouge Parish girl’s mother had contracted COVID-19, and the child was prematurely born as a result. EBR Coroner Beau Clark explains why pregnant moms are in the high-risk group…

Cut 8 (14) “…situation.”

Former Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who once held the NFL record for the longest made field goal, has died from complications of the coronavirus. He was 73. Demspey kicked 159 field goals in eleven NFL season, even though he was born without toes on his right foot. His former teammate and ex-Saints Q-B Billy Kilmer…

Cut 9 (11) “…he was.″

In 1970 at old Tulane Stadium, Dempsey booted a 63-yard field goal as the Saints beat the Detroit Lions on the record-breaking kick. 

Dr. Ray Authement, who served as the president of UL Lafayette for 34 years, has died.  Upon his retirement in 2008, he was the longest-serving public university president in the United States.  Current UL Lafayette President Joe Savoie says Authement’s impact on the campus can still be seen today.

Cut 12 (10) “…changed the place.”

The Louisiana Department of Health will now begin reporting the demographics of those impacted by COVID-19. Governor Edwards announced today that so far, just over 70% of the state’s COVID fatalities are African American, while only making up about a third of the population. The state is currently at 512 deaths.
An East Baton Rouge Parish mother loses her baby after her COVID-19 symptoms resulted in the child’s premature birth. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

Former Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who once held the NFL record for the longest made field goal, has died from complications of the coronavirus. In 1970 at old Tulane Stadium, Dempsey booted a 63-yard field goal as the Saints beat the Detroit Lions on the record-breaking kick. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says Dempsey told him he never saw the ball go through the uprights.
Cut 10 (13) “…the field”
Dempsey was 73.
Normally, flu activity goes down at this time of the year.   However, State Immunization Director Dr. Frank Welch says the state has not yet seen that dip as one in ten visits to a doctor is for flu-like symptoms. With the high rates of testing for COVID-19, the math paints a picture of flu activity being much higher than normal.
Cut 4 (12)_ “… fact the flu.”

Saints legendary kicker Tom Dempsey has died from complications of the coronavirus. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo” 

LSU officials are taking extra steps to prevent the university’s live mascot, Mike VII, from contracting COVID-19. Caretakers are taking the extra precautions after a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City tested positive for the virus over the weekend.

A one day old infant in East Baton Rouge Parish dies after being prematurely born due to complications stemming from her mother’s COVID-19 case. EBR Coroner Beau Clark says the child’s death is being counted in the parish’s total COVID fatalities, because…

Cut 6 (10) “labor”

He adds this is the first such case in Louisiana, but similar incidents have been reported nationwide.

Dr. Ray Authement, who served as the president of UL Lafayette for 34 years, has died at the age of 91.  Upon his retirement in 2008, he was the longest serving public university president in the United States.  Current UL Lafayette President Joe Savoie says Authement started at the school as a math professor.  Upon his retirement, he came back to the University to teach math again.

Cut 14 (12) “…to the university.”

Authement died Sunday at the age of 91.