Ochsner Hospital for Children says they are seeing an increase in kids testing positive for COVID. System Chair of Pediatrics Doctor William Lennarz says most children suffer from mild symptoms of the Delta variant, but they are also treating seriously ill children…
cut 14 (11) “….week or so”
Lennarz says if he was a parent of a 12 to 18-year-old, he would run not walk to the closest vaccine station.

The FDA is aiming to give final approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for adults by Labor Day weekend. The shot currently has Emergency Use Authorization. Tulane School of Medicine Epidemiologist Dr. Susan Hassig says the agency is reviewing storage, dosing, and distribution data.
Cut 7 (09) “…full authorization.”
Full authorization could lead to more vaccine mandates.

Louisiana Lottery sets a sales record for the last fiscal year. Matt Doyle on what this means for public education
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Senator John Kennedy authored an amendment to the infrastructure bill that would provide one-point-one billion dollars in disaster relief to Louisianians who suffered damage from Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta. But according to his office, the Senate has blocked that effort. An aide to Senator Bill Cassidy told the Advocate that disaster relief could not be included in the infrastructure bill due to congressional procedure.

With students set to return to school, along with faculty and staff, they will face their third pandemic impacted school year. Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter says members have mixed emotions about returning, excitement, and…
Cut 4 (08) “…the game.”
Ochsner Health System Chair of Pediatrics Doctor William Lennarz says the average age of pediatric patients hospitalized has dropped from 16 years old in June to 12 years old in July…
cut 15 (08) “….not vaccinated”
But Lennarz says so far the data indicates that children do not appear to be proportionately more severely affected by the Delta variant.

The total number of people hospitalized in Louisiana due to COVID is 2,247, an all-time high.

There are reports that the Pfizer Vaccine could get final F-D-A approval by September. It received emergency authorization late last year and Tulane School of Medicine Epidemiologist Doctor Susan Hassig says full authorization could result in many people deciding to get the vaccine…
cut 9 (08) “…hesitant”
LSU is not making it mandatory for students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, but students who are not vaccinated will be required to test monthly.

The Louisiana Lottery says it just had its best year ever for sales with nearly 625-million dollars in revenue. Spokesperson Kim Chopin says 35 cents of every dollar spent on Lotto games go towards K-through-12 education funding, so that means 207-million dollars will go to public education, up 28-million from last year…
cut 11 (11) “…education”

So how has the coronavirus pandemic impacted learning in the classroom? State education officials say the number of public school students scoring Mastery or above on the LEAP exams saw a decrease of five percentage points from 2019 to 2021. The decrease was seen across all grade levels.

With students and teachers set to return to the classroom, there’s a heightened sense of concern as the delta variant is impacting more children.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The Ochnser Health System says they are seeing more children hospitalized with COVID-19, but the overall number is still relatively low. System Chair of Pediatrics Dr. William Lennarz says there has been a clear rise in COVID cases among children due to the Delta variant. He cited percent positivity among those 18 and younger…
Cut 13 (09) “…24 percent.”

The Louisiana Lottery ended its fiscal year with nearly 625-million dollars in revenue, the best year ever in its 30-year history. 207-million dollars goes to the State Treasurry for K-12 public education funding. Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin believes they picked up a few more players during the pandemic…
cut 12 (10) “….businesses”

Ochsner Hospital for Children says they are seeing an increase in kids testing positive for COVID. System Chair of Pediatrics Doctor William Lennarz says most children suffer from mild symptoms of the Delta variant, but they are also treating children who are critically ill…
cut 14 (11) “….week or so”
Lennarz says if he was a parent of a 12 to 18-year-old, he would be running not walking to the closest vaccine station. Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter agrees…
cut 6 (09) “…vaccine is”
Carter says a poll among national members indicates more than 90-percent are vaccinated for COVID and an estimated 80-percent of faculty and staff are vaccinated in Louisiana.

The FDA is expected to give full authorization for the Pfizer COVID vaccine next month, approximately nine months after it received Emergency Use Authorization. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

With students and teachers set to return to the classroom, there’s a heightened sense of concern this year as the delta variant is impacting more children. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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The FDA is expected to give full authorization for the Pfizer COVID vaccine next month, approximately nine months after it received Emergency Use Authorization. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Louisiana Lottery sales shattered records in the last fiscal year. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (29)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.” 

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With students set to return to school, along with facility and staff, they will face their third pandemic impacted school year. President of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers Larry Carter says members have mixed emotions about returning, excitement…

Cut 4 (08) “…the game.”

Carter says because a majority of school systems handled COVID mitigation well last year he’s confident they will continue to do so, however with an increase in cases among children due to the Delta variant there’s a heightened level of concern among parents.

Cut 5 (11) “…those parents.”

LEAP Test schools released this week show students perform better when they are in a physical classroom versus virtual learning. Carter says it’s imperative that more people be vaccinated in order to keep each other safe and students in the classroom.

Cut 6 (09) “…vaccine is.”

Carter says a poll among national members indicates more than 90-percent are vaccinated for COVID and an estimated 80-percent of facility and staff are vaccinated in Louisiana.

_____________________

The FDA is expected to give full approval next month to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for adults, upgrading it from its current Emergency Use Authorization.  Tulane School of Medicine Epidemiologist Dr. Susan Hassig says they are reviewing things like storage, dosing, and distribution data.

Cut 7 (09) “…full authorization.”

Hassig says the FDA is also reviewing the lengthy package insert that will accompany the vaccine, which she says is very important for how companies could dictate their vaccine policies.

Cut 8 (11) “…to happen.” 

What makes this authorization process different from other FDA approvals Hassig says is because we are in a pandemic and most medications, etc. would only receive full approval after a lengthy process and not a EUA. So, the FDA reviewed preliminary data from the vaccine clinical trials and issued EUA.

Cut 9 (09) “…this vaccine.”

The FDA is reportedly aiming to grant full approval by Labor Day or sooner.

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The Louisiana Lottery brought in a record-breaking 625 million dollars in revenue for the fiscal year that ended in July.

Lotto spokesperson Kim Chopin says scratch-offs, in particular, saw a massive surge in interest, up nearly 70 million dollars in sales from last year.

Cut 10 (09) “…history.”

35 cents of every dollar spent on Lotto games go towards funding K-12 education. Chopin says over 207 million dollars was raised for public education in the last fiscal year, up 28 million from last year.

Cut 11 (11) “…education.”

Chopin says the pandemic clearly had a big impact on sales. She says they certainly picked up a few players who were unable to gamble at casinos.

Cut 12 (10) “…buisinesses.” 

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The Ochsner Health System confirmed reports that more children are being hospitalized with COVID-19, even if the overall number is still relatively low.

System Chair of Pediatrics Dr. William Lennarz says there has been a clear rise in COVID cases among children due to the Delta variant. He cited percent positivity among those 18 and younger…

Cut 13 (09) “…24 percent.”

Lennarz says it is important to note that while there has been an uptick in child hospitalizations, they aren’t seeing a “tremendous” number of critically ill children right now…

Cut 14 (11) “…week or so.”

Lennarz says the average age of pediatric patients that they are seeing with COVID dropped from 16 in June to 12 in July. That’s because now children under 12 are most “at-risk”.

Cut 15 (08)“…not vaccinated.”

But Lennarz cautioned that so far the data indicates that children do not appear to be proportionately more severely affected by the Delta variant.

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With the injury to Myles Brennan, LSU’s quarterback battle is decided as Max Johnson has been named the starter. But there are other key position battles as the Tigers report for preseason camp today.  Tiger Rag Assistant Editor William Weathers says one of the more competitive battles will be at linebacker.

Cut 16 (19) “…cohesion and how to work together.”

The safety spot is a position with plenty of talent but not much experience.  Weathers says you could see some young guys step up in the secondary.

Cut 17 (18) “…Langlois.” 

Defensive line should be one of the deepest positions for the Tigers in 2021 and Weathers expects a heavy rotation of players on the D-Line…

Cut  18 (24)”…full season.”

The tropics have been quiet lately, but NOAA’s climate prediction center still predicts an above-average hurricane season with 15 to 21 named storms. In May NOAA predicted 13 to 20 named storms. But lead seasonal hurricane forecaster Matthew Rosencrans says that’s not the 30 named storms recorded during the historic 2020 season…

Cut 5 (12) “…last year.”

An early morning crash in St. Tammany Parish claims the lives of two teens and leaves two others hospitalized. Saint Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Captain Lance Vitter says the four young girls were occupants of a 2019 Honda Civic that left the roadway, struck two trees, a telephone pole, and other stationary objects. Vitter says it’s unknown if one of the fatalities included the driver of the vehicle.

Cut 10 (08) “…horrific.”

LSU announced that unvaccinated students will be required to test monthly for COVID during the fall semester. System President William Tate says when students arrive on campus for the semester, they will be required to submit proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. Tate says the policy is part of several other safety protocols

cut 14 (10) “…in our community

Tate says masks will also be required indoors at all times, except when individuals are alone in their offices.

Grambling State University utilizes federal pandemic recovery funds to pay off 1.5 million dollars in student account balances accrued from spring 2020 through the summer of 2021. Associate VP of Finance Sheliah Faucette says they want to attract students back to the famed Historically Black University.

Cut 6 (09) “..careers.” 

LSU announces unvaccinated students will be required to test monthly for COVID during the fall semester. While some professors have asked LSU leadership to make vaccines mandatory System President William Tate is only recommending that students get vaccinated

Cut 15 (09) “…kind of activities.” 

Grambling State University is utilizing federal pandemic recovery funds to pay off 1.5 million dollars in student account balances that accrued from spring 2020 through the summer of 2021. Associate VP of Finance Sheliah Faucette says these fees and balances that are being paid off are not the same as student loans.

Cut 8 (11) “…loan”

An early morning crash in St. Tammany Parish claims the lives of two young girls and leaves two others hospitalized. Saint Tammany Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Captain Lance Vitter says the one-vehicle accident on Guste Island Road west of Madisonville happened shortly after midnight and two young girls were pronounced dead on the scene.

Cut 9 (12) “…community”

NOAA has revised its hurricane forecast for this season and it’s now calling for 15-to-21 named storms, seven to ten hurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes. NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster Matthew Rosencrans says the potential return of a La Nina favors storm development…

Cut 4 (08) “…storms” 
The 2021 season has already produced five named storms.

NOAA has increased the predicted storm total for the 2021 hurricane season. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Jeff Palermo” 

The state department of education releases LEAP Test data showing scores are largely down across the board from 2019 to 2021. The number of students who hit mastery levels was down five percent and the number of students who scored unsatisfactory rose five percent. These results were particularly acute in economically disadvantaged students

The Delta variant appears to be impacting some people in different ways than the original strain, resulting in symptoms that were not historically associated with COVID. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says COVID can still present with the classic symptoms of cough, fever, and shortness of breath, but keep in mind…

Cut 12 (11) “…things” 

If you come down with any of these symptoms visit your nearest testing site. To find out where that is just call 2-1-1.

Grambling State University is utilizing federal pandemic recovery funds to pay off 1.5 million dollars in student account balances that accrued from spring 2020 through the summer of 2021. Associate VP of Finance Sheliah Faucette says paying off these fees will help students access their transcripts for employers, or continue their education.

Cut 7 (12) “…college”