AM Newscall 04/21/2020

3-D printing is proving to be a useful tool in creating important COVID-19 testing supplies.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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 Beginning April 27th time-sensitive elective medical procedures will be permitted under the state’s coronavirus social distancing guidelines. Matt Doyle has more.

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The Louisiana House GOP Leader and Governor disagree on just how the state should begin to reopen in May. Matt Doyle has the story.

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Nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing are now being 3-D printed at LSU Health Shreveport. The swabs, which are a crucial part or the testing kit, have been in short supply.  Molecular and cellular physiology professor Dr. Steven Alexander hopes the extra swab availability will lead to an expansion of testing eligibility.

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Alexander says they have obtained the swab design printing files to produce the resin polymer nasal swabs and hope to be producing nearly 1,000 swabs daily.

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Alexander says the light-activated printing technique can produce medical devices which are chemically inert, sterile, and compatible with accurate testing procedures.

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The Department of Education releases a survey showing all 69 school districts are offering some level of distance education in public schools while campuses are closed.  Department spokesperson Sydni Dunn says the survey looked at both traditional and charter schools handling of the pandemic.

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32% of school systems are connecting with students every day.  One in four students are not receiving feedback on their learning.  Dunn says the methods used in continuous education varies greatly by school system depending on the unique needs of their students.

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28% of students do not have access to a school-issued or personal tablet or computer and only 66% have home internet access.

Dunn says the survey asked what districts needed to be more successful with distance learning, and many said more professional development was needed for teachers.

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Louisiana House GOP Leader Blake Miguez says Louisiana needs to reopen its economy on a parish by parish basis, but Governor Edwards disagrees.

Miguez wrote a letter to the Governor calling on him to implement Phase One of the federal reopening plan after the stay-at-home order ends April 30th.

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Phase One allows for limited reopening like dine-in restaurants while calling for sustained social distancing and use of public PPE.

But Edwards says he’s leaning towards issuing any guidance at a state level. He says for those getting anxious under the current stay at home order…

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Phase One guidelines advise reopenings can be handled at a parish level.

Edwards says he will be using hard benchmarks for deciding if the state will implement Phase One after April 30th, one being that Louisiana has the capacity to test 140-150,000 people a month.

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The Governor says he plans to announce what restrictions the state will keep days before the current stay at home order expires on April 30th.

Miguez says testing capacity is important, and so are the other benchmarks, but if they are not met the state still needs to consider allowing some businesses to start back up.

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Governor Edwards gives the go-ahead for some time-sensitive elective medical procedures that have been canceled under the stay at home order to resume next Monday.

The relaxed restrictions are a result of lessening pressure on hospitals due to a flattening of the curve, but State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry says not every procedure will be deemed necessary.

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There’s been an ongoing challenge as to whether or not abortions count as essential procedures, but Guidry says under the relaxed order some abortions may proceed.

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National reports show a growing problem of people canceling vital treatments that are needed for chronic issues. Guidry says this order helps encourage those folks to get back to a doctor.

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