Governor Edwards held a briefing Friday to discuss the Omicron variant which was designated a variant of concern just a week ago. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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CWD, or Chronic Wasting Disease which is fatal to deer, is becoming a growing concern in Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 2 (32)…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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Governor John Bel Edwards addresses the Omicron variant at a press conference this morning. It was just a week ago when the World Health Organization declared it a variant of significance and now it’s been detected in five states. Edwards says it’s not in Louisiana that we know of and detection is underway.
Cut 3 (10) “…as possible.”
Edwards says as far as we know 100% of cases in the state are from the Delta variant.
Edwards says there are a number of studies underway about the variant and there are some things we know and many others we do not know yet. The governor says that the Department of Health has established a network of laboratories and they are proactively sequencing on positive PCR tests.
Cut 4 (08) “…any other variant.”
Regardless of variants, Edwards says the best protection is to be fully vaccinated, which includes children five and older and when applicable a booster shot for individuals 18 and older.
Cut 5 (13) “…and death.”
Currently, Edwards says only 49-percent of the state’s population is fully vaccinated which clearly isn’t enough.
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Concerns are growing in the state about the possibility of Chronic Wasting Disease infecting white-tailed deer in Louisiana. This after CWD was found in one of the animals in Union County, Arkansas.
Cut 6 (06) “..concerning to us.”
That’s State Veterinarian Jim LaCour with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries who says the agency has issued a ban on baiting and feeding in nearby Moorehouse and Union parishes beginning December 6. CWD is a neurodegenerative disease of white-tailed deer that can prove fatal to the deer and other animals.
LaCour says not feeding the deer is a precautionary step targeted at halting the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.
Cut 7 (13) “…possibly through saliva.”
LaCour is urging hunters to submit the white-tailed deer they’ve harvested so they can be tested for CWD.
Cut 8 (12) “…it is present.”
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Over the past 30 days Louisiana State troopers says they’ve seized more than six million dollars in illegal narcotics during numerous traffic stops across the state. Trooper William Huggins says on Wednesday a traffic stop in St. Tammany Parish led to the discovery of a large quantity of suspected meth.
Cut 9 (06) “…of suspected methamphetamine.”
The street value of the haul is estimated at more than two million dollars. A Texas man was arrested on drug-related charges. In one of the other stops, some 37 kilograms of meth was seized with an estimated street value of four-point-six million dollars.
Huggins says the makeup of the drug seizures during the traffic stops were large quantities of meth.
Cut 10 (08) “…4.6 million”
Huggins says it’s hard to tell if more drugs are crossing the state’s highways.
Cut 11 (08) “..focused on it.”
During the traffic stops over the past month, troopers seized 577 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated one-point-six-million dollars.
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280 workers at Ochsner Health in Louisiana and Mississippi have been fired for not coming into compliance with the firm’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, though 99 percent of additional staff members have. Tulane Health Care Economist, Charles Stoecker, posed this question when asked about the situation.
Cut 12 (08) “…covid to you”
Most of the 280 people terminated are contract employees who work on an as-needed basis. Those employees in good standing would be eligible for rehire once they’re in compliance with Ochsner Health policy.
Stoecker says the Ochsner Health vaccination policy isn’t really all that strict given the alternative provisions for those who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Cut 13 (11) “…be tested weekly.”
Stoecker says that even though Ochsner Health says 99 percent of its nearly 30 thousand employees are in compliance with its vaccine mandate there’s some lack of transparency in that statement.
Cut 14 (11) “…given an exemption.”