Pharmacists received a heads up that the state would increase eligibility Tuesday for the COVID vaccine. Brooke Thorington reports independent pharmacies are prepared.
Cut 1 (32) “…Brooke Thorington”
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The State Senate Select Committee on Women and Children meets today to discuss the handling of sexual misconduct incidents on college campuses. Matt Doyle has more…
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Fatal outcomes for those suffering from severe COVID cases are down substantially from this time last year. Matt Doyle spoke with Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Chief of Hospital Medicine Dr. Mike Sewell about improvements in care over the last year…
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Providers and pharmacists were notified ahead of the Governor’s announcement Tuesday that COVID vaccinations would be available for those 16 and over with a preexisting health condition. President of Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association Randall Johnson says they are ready.
It’s been just of two months since vaccines began arriving in the state and weekly allocations have increased over time. Johnson says pharmacists have been able to fine-tune their operations.
Johnson says most pharmacies receive their allotment on Monday morning and begin vaccinations of those with appointments, that afternoon. And now with a third vaccine available, they’re able to schedule even more.
To locate a provider to vaccinated visit CovidVaccine.LA.gov
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A Senate committee meets in the Capitol today at 10 AM to discuss the handling of sexual misconduct incidents on college campuses.
Members of the Legislative Women’s Caucus will attend the meeting, including Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell…
The stated purpose of the meeting is to receive in-depth responses from all public university systems in the state regarding their handling of sexual misconduct cases, and the policies in place to respond to such incidents.
Mizell says the goal is to have a dialog with university system leaders about creating policies that make it easier to report an assault, along with clear consequences and a process in place for victims to be heard.
Mizell says the Husch Blackwell report detailing the mishandling of sexual misconduct and assault cases at LSU put a spotlight on the issue.
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In the 12 months since Louisiana saw its first COVID case treatment has come a long way.
Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Chief of Hospital Medicine Dr. Mike Sewell says the current case fatality rate is far lower than it was this time last year when it was as high as four percent in New Orleans…
Sewell says that number began to drop substantially in early fall once enough data was compiled to provide consistently effective treatment.
Many of the early treatments, such as extensive ventilator use, were found to be ineffective. Sewell says some widely used treatments were even harmful.
Other abandoned treatments for severe cases include convalescent plasma and hydroxychloroquine.
Another big change involves treating high-risk individuals early in their infection with monoclonal antibodies.
The Louisiana Department of Health reports 9,769 COVID-19 deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic.
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Governor John Bel Edwards says he was very troubled after reading the entire Husch Blackwell report that investigated mishandling of sexual abuse and assault cases at LSU. Edwards says the report also made recommendations on how to improve the Title Nine office and what punishments to enforce.
Edwards says it’s imperative young people and their parents know that when they attend a college in Louisiana that they are going to be safe. He says proper guidelines will be enforced and the Title Nine offices will be staffed with trained personnel.
Edwards says he’s pleased that LSU made the report available to the public and understands that they are implementing all 18 recommendations from the report to mitigate future mishandlings.
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The LSU Basketball team seems to be a lock to make the NCAA tournament but the Tigers are still playing for seeding in the Big Dance as they prepare for the SEC tournament. Associate Editor for Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Blake Lovell says LSU is well-positioned to have success in the conference tournament.
Cut 16 (19) “…matchup standpoint.”
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects LSU as an 8 seed in the NCAA tournament which puts them in an 8-9 matchup in round one, with the winner playing the number 1 seed in the second round. Lovell says that if LSU wins a couple more games they could move up to a 7th seed.
Cut 17 (16) “…seven or higher.”
When it comes to improving their seeding, Lovell says the Tigers can’t afford to lose the first game in the conference tournament.