Health officials have said if COVID hospitalizations do not go down soon, more mitigation measures could be issued thus hurting the restaurant industry again as they try to recover Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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The CDC is begging pregnant women to get vaccinated, citing data that shows expecting mothers are at a high risk of suffering severe COVID cases. Matt Doyle has more.
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A COVID treatment developed by an LSU-based artificial intelligence program is now in clinical trials. Matt Doyle has the story.
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The restaurant industry has been among the hardest hit during the pandemic and earlier this week Health Officials said if hospitalizations don’t let up soon, more mitigation measures could be issued. Louisiana Restaurant Association President Stan Harris says right now the industry is fairing pretty good…
As the fourth surge continues to overcrowd hospitals Harris says several members are watching to see if the industry could be called upon to reduce capacity.
Staffing shortages have also been an ongoing issue for the restaurant industry and Harris says they are starting to see more people apply for jobs since the end of federally enhanced unemployment benefits, but not as many as they hoped.
Harris says they are highly encouraging patrons to comply with mask mandates when they enter restaurants in an effort to curb case numbers and allow eateries to remain open at full capacity.
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The CDC is urging pregnant women to get vaccinated, citing mounting numbers of severe cases among soon-to-be moms.
LSU Health New Orleans Chief of Maternal-Fetal Health Dr. Robert Maupin says pregnant women who develop COVID are three times more likely to end up in the ICU than not pregnant women.
Ochsner reports 11 pregnant women are currently hospitalized in their system, none of them are vaccinated.
Maupin says some good news is that it does not appear infected mothers can transmit the virus to fetuses, but they are seeing a number of newborns getting infected by the family shortly after birth.
Only 23 percent of pregnant women are vaccinated according to the CDC. Maupin says mother’s fear of taking a vaccine they don’t understand is understandable, but the shot is proven safe and effective.
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Health officials say it’s the Delta variant of COVID that is responsible for a majority of breakthrough cases among the vaccinated. Ochsner Health Director of Hospital Quality Dr. Sandra Kemmerly says there’s another trend in breakthrough cases when someone was inoculated in the vaccine rollout.
When asked if the number of breakthrough cases is an indicator of the need for a vaccine booster shot, Kemmerly says they are awaiting guidance but she believes it’s on the horizon.
The FDA is reportedly expected to authorize the use of booster shots for both Moderna and Pfizer among the immunocompromised in the coming days.
Both Pfizer and Moderna have issued research touting the need for booster shots but as to who would ideally receive them first, those who are immune-compromised or among the first to be vaccinated, Kemmerly says it remains to be seen.
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LSU’s DeepDrug artificial intelligence program discovered COVID treatment is headed to clinical trials after animal trials showed it’s effective against both variants and long-COVID.
LSU Computer Sciences Professor Dr. Supratik Mukhopadhyay (Sue-prat-ick Moo-co-pod-yay) says their AI program saves researchers time by running simulations of various drug combinations against a chosen disease.
The treatment, known as SM-19, combines two already existing, widely accessible drugs into a therapy that shows up to 97 percent efficacy in reducing coronavirus levels.
SM-19 clinical trials have already begun in Ukraine and are set to begin in California in the near future. Mukhopadhyay says they would like to begin trials in Louisiana as well.
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The Saints will practice in pads this morning and then tomorrow leave for Baltimore where they’ll play the Ravens in the team’s first preseason game of the year. No word on who will start at Q-B for that game. Taysom Hill says he’s benefiting by getting a lot of reps at quarterback in practice
Hill says he’s having a lot of fun during this training camp because he’s practicing at the quarterback position
With star wide receiver Michael Thomas not practicing as he continues to recover from an ankle injury, second-year pro Marquez Callaway has emerged as one of the team’s top performers during this training camp. Hill says Callaway takes advantage of his opportunities