The state health department reported another 644 new coronavirus cases today. The number of COVID-19 deaths rose by 28 to 4,431, but hospitalizations declined by 22 to 1,204.

LSU Health New Orleans is participating in a clinical trial on the use of lab-created monoclonal antibodies as a way to treat COVID patients. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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There’s good news on the COVID-19 testing front. The FDA has approved a new saliva-based test that’s as accurate as the nasal swab test and also much cheaper. LSU Health New Orleans infectious disease expert, Doctor Catherine O’ Neal, says this test will also cut down on wait times to get a result…
cut 7 (05) “…matter of hours”
O’Neal says this type of test can be useful to test a large number of people in a short amount of time, like students living in a dorm.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two tropical waves in the Atlantic, both of them have a good chance at developing into named storms over the next five days. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s not a surprise that the tropics are getting active…
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Keim says it remains to be seen if these systems get in the Gulf of Mexico.

A federal judge in New Orleans rejects a request by ten southeast Louisiana bar owners to stop the statewide order closing bars. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says this is what he expected out of the federal court because the standard of review for public health declarations is highly deferential to local authorities.

Cut 9, 12 seconds, constitution

The bar owners argued that shutting down bars violated equal protection under the constitution and that they did not receive due process.

A new saliva test for COVID-19, known as SalivaDirect, gets the thumbs up from the FDA.  LSU Health New Orleans infectious disease expert Dr. Catherine O’Neal says this test differs from other saliva tests because not only is it a quick and easy collection, but they can skip the extraction step saving time and money.

Cut 6 (10) “…in the country.”

Researchers at Yale say they expect labs will only charge about $10 per sample with this test.

Senator John Kennedy pens a letter to Governor Edwards asking him to rescind the capacity cap on houses of worship, and to deem those houses of worship essential so that they can operate more freely under current COVID restrictions. Louisiana Family Forum President Gene Mills supports the request, and says current restrictions are leading some folks to not go to church when they otherwise would…

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Members of the Legislative Audit Advisory Council were left fuming after yesterday’s meeting thanks to DeSoto and Red River Parish officials, who did not show up to discuss their spreading of now-debunked claims on social media that Department of Health COVID case counts were not accurate. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau says they now have evidence that those officials violated HIPPA by disseminating lists of infected people’s names, and says their refusal to attend cannot happen again.

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LSU Health New Orleans is participating in a national clinical trial on the use of lab-created monoclonal antibodies as a way to treat patients hospitalized with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. Pulmonary critical care specialist Dr. Bennett deBoisblanc says the hope is that the monoclonal antibody would prevent viral attachment to cells.
Cut 7 (06) “…to reproduce itself.”

The Louisiana Family Forum backs a request by Senator John Kennedy that Governor Edwards label places of worship as essential and their capacity restrictions should be lifted. Executive Director Gene Mills says religious leaders should be trusted to maintain a safe environment.
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No word on if Governor Edwards will act on Kennedy’s request.

Progessive and Louisiana Farm Bureau have told the Louisiana Insurance Department that they will lower their auto insurance rates by two and eight percent respectively. Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Louisiana CEO Jeff Albright expects this trend to continue as changes to the state’s civil litigation system will take effect next year, which will reduce the number of injury claims…
cut 5 (05) “…important”

Some state lawmakers are not happy with officials in Red River and DeSoto Parishes who made claims the state health department has been double counting coronavirus cases. A report from the state legislative auditor’s office has found that not to be the case. Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey says there’s also evidence the local officials in these two parishes used the people’s names who tested positive to attack the state’s COVID case reporting…
cut 14 (05) “….violation”

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says Louisiana Farm Bureau and Progressive will reduce their auto insurance rates by eight and two percent respectively. The rate decreases follow the recent announcement by State Farm that it’s also lowering rates. The three companies cover over 50-percent of the private passenger auto market in Louisiana.

Will we see even more rate reductions as a result of the tort reform legislation approved during the June special session? Matt Doyle has more…
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LSU Health New Orleans has joined a COVID-19 treatment clinical trial where participating patients at University Medical Center will receive synethic antibodies. Pulmonary care specialist Doctor Bennett deBoisblanc says instead of waiting on a COVID patient to produce their own antibodies, they will use the lab-grown version to keep symptoms from worsening…
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Patients hospitalized with mild to moderate COVID-19 with fewer than 13 days of symptoms may volunteer to participate.

Senator John Kennedy believes Governor Edwards should label places of worship as essential and remove the capacity cap. Kennedy says the governor should extend the same Phase 2 capacity rules that guide big box stores and protesters…
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No word on if the governor will act on Kennedy’s request.

A federal judge in New Orleans has ruled in favor of Governor John Bel Edwards and his order that has shut bars down across the state. Judge Martin Feldman said state officials have the right to take these actions during a global pandemic.

DeSoto and Red River Parish officials who promoted a now-debunked claim that the state health department double counted COVID case numbers are blasted for not showing up to a hearing on the issue….
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COVID-19 patients at University Medical Center in New Orleans will have the opportunity to participate in a trial to see if noncolonal antibodies can treat their infections. Pulmonary-Critical Care specialist at LSU Health New Orleans Doctor Bennett deBoisBlanc says the hope is that these manufactured antibodies can bind to the surface of the virus and prevent them infecting healthy cells…
cut 9 (08) “….in the months ahead”

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says Progressive and Louisiana Farm Bureau plan to reduce their auto insurance rates by two and eight-percent respectively. Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Louisiana CEO Jeff Albright says this is great news and we can expect even lower rates as a result of the tort reform legislation approved this summer…
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LSU Health New Orleans is participating in a clinical trial on the use of lab-created monoclonal antibodies as a way to treat COVID patients. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The remains of Jose Ponce Arreola have been removed from the partially collpased Hard Rock Hotel construction site in New Orleans. His body was the third and final one still trapped under the rubble since last October.

Officials from DeSoto and Red River parishes failed to show up to a hearing at the state capitol about their claims that the state department of health is double counting coronavirus cases. A recent audit from the legislative auditor’s office debunked those claims. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau called the parishes’ actions unacceptable and says their refusal to attend cannot happen again….
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Despite criticism from many Democratic lawmakers, the CEO for the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Louisiana Jeff Albright remains confident we’ll see lower auto insurance rates as a result of the changes made by lawmakers to the state’s civil litigation system. Albright says 45-percent of Louisiana drivers carry the minimum limit of 15-thousand dollars of insurance, which is why the law lowers the jury trial threshold to 10-thousand dollars…
cut 6 (07) “….jury”
Supporters of the tort reform legislation say judges tend to rule in favor of plaintiffs, which leads to higher judgements against insurance companies.

LSU Health New Orleans is participating in a national clinical trial on the use of lab-created monoclonal antibodies as a way to treat patients hospitalized with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. Pulmonary critical care specialist Dr. Bennett deBoisblanc says the hope is that the monoclonal antibody would prevent viral attachment to cells.
Cut 7 (06) “…to reproduce itself.”
deBoisblanc says instead of waiting on a COVID patient to produce their own antibodies, they hope to administer the lab-grown version to help fight off a worsening condition.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy is asking Governor John Bel Edwards to label places of worship as essential and rescind the capacity cap that’s been placed on churches and synagogues. Louisiana Family Forum executive director Gene Mills believes it’s a good idea…
cut 11 (12) “…away”

Legislators slam DeSoto and Red River Parish officials for not showing up to a hearing about claims made by those parishes that the Department of Health was reporting duplicate COVID case counts. Legislative Audit Advisory Council members blasted the officials for making claims later debunked by the Legislative Auditor. Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivy…
Cut 13 (13) “…member.”
Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau called the parishes’ actions unacceptable and says their refusal to attend cannot happen again.