The New Orleans region is now projected to run out of ventilators for COVID-19 patients on April 6th. Governor Edwards says they’re scouring the medical community trying to figure out where they might have ventilators that are not in need, even if they aren’t high-powered ICU models.
490 COVID-19 patients are on ventilators in Louisiana as of the noon update.
LSU’s DeepDrug team is using artificial intelligence to analyze anti-viral drugs, or drug combinations that could be used to treat COVID-19 patients. The FDA has approved about 90 antiviral treatments for general use, and LSU Computer Science Professor Supratik Mukhopadhyay (Moo-co-pod-a) says each will be simulated to see how it would treat COVID patients.
Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves is encouraging small businesses to get a jump on filling out applications for the Payroll Protection Act. Small businesses can apply to receive low-interest loans, with money that is used for payroll being forgiven. Graves says applications will be accepted starting April 3.
Cut 3 (10) “…applications are accepted.”
The program is part of the $2.2 trillion emergency relief legislation, but this particular allocation is subject to a funding cap, adding to the urgency of filing quickly.
As oil prices continue to drop the outlook for Louisiana workers in the industry continues to look bleak. Oil is trading in the low twenties and President of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association Gifford Briggs says if prices do not recover by June first, storage facilities for oil will reach capacity and that’s when the industry will most definitely see a reduction in workers.
Cut 8 (10) “…everywhere else.”