US Senator and physician Bill Cassidy believes a vaccine will be approved for COVID by the end of the year or January. Brooke Thorington has more on the approval process.
Cut 1 (30) “ I’m Brooke Thorington”
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Shells’ Convent refinery will close by the end of the month. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Governor Edwards has extended the public health emergency order into December as the nation records record-breaking numbers of new cases. Matt Doyle has the story.
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US Senator and physician, Bill Cassidy says currently there are four active COVID-19 vaccine trials going forward, Cassidy anticipates a vaccine will be approved by the end of the year or first of January and begin distribution.
Cassidy says an independent board, not the government or pharmaceutical companies, is monitoring the effectiveness of the vaccines and they will decide if the vaccines should move forward in the approval process.
Cassidy says then the FDA and independent board sends their findings back to the company producing the vaccine.
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Shell announces it will shutter its Convent refinery by the end of the month, laying off 700 workers and costing the St. James Parish government an estimated 24 million dollars a year in tax revenue.
The facility has been around since 1967 and accounts for an estimated 27 percent of local tax revenues. Parish President Pete Dufrense (Doo-Fren) says the hit to services will be substantial.
The closure will cost 3.8 million to local law enforcement, 8.7 million to the school system, and 6.7 million in parish government Ad Valorem tax loss.
Dufresne says Shell told the parish the closure was due to the site’s lack of profitability and that they have been working to find an interested buyer for the location since July.
Those working at the facility will remain employed until February of next year and Shell says they will attempt to place them elsewhere in the company, potentially at Norco, Geismar, Port Allen, or other sites throughout the state. Shell employs about 4,000 Louisianans.
St. James Sheriff Willy Martin says the company has committed to cleaning out the facility.
The official Shell statement on the closing reads “The decision is part of the company’s global strategy to invest in a core set of uniquely integrated manufacturing sites that are also strategically positioned for the transition to a low-carbon future.”
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Governor Edwards extends the current Phase Three pandemic public health restrictions until December 4th.
This comes as opponents are challenging the orders in court. Edwards says it’s vital we continue to keep our caseloads down as the rest of the country experiences explosive increases.
Next Thursday a Baton Rouge Judge will hear arguments in a case determining the constitutionality of a State House petition that claims to override the public health emergency declaration.
Fifteen states set new daily records for cases yesterday and the nation as a whole saw 100,000 new positive tests. Governor Edwards notes we’re actually doing pretty well comparatively.
Edwards says our current plateau of cases and hospitalizations is higher than the early summer though that saw us at our lowest transmission rates since the pandemic began.
Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says much of the rise is being traced back to small, intimate gatherings between friends and family where people aren’t masking up.
Kanter says Thanksgiving is right around the corner and our current standing is tenuous at best. He says residents should begin asking themselves if getting together is really worth it.
Louisiana hospitalization numbers have been slowly rising and are now at 636 their highest number since mid-September.
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Eyes are once again on the tropics as Tropical Depression* Eta is expected to move into the Western Caribbean after punishing Central America and re-intensity into a Tropical Storm. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Eta is predicted to track northeastward and cross Cuba on Sunday, then the National Hurricane Center has it tracking northwestward back into the Gulf of Mexico.
Keim says there’s a lot of uncertainty with this storm but if Eta holds true to form…
Keim says Eta is definitely taking an unusual path, the National Hurricane Center has Eta crossing the Caribbean, Cuba and headed straight to Florida and then a hard left into the Gulf over the next five days.
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The Saints will battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night in a game that will go a long way towards deciding who will win the NFC South. The Bucs are 6-2 and playing great on defense. New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees says he plans to use all his weapons on offense to move the football…
One of the Saints’ biggest weapons is receiver Michael Thomas, who has missed most of the season with an ankle injury. Thomas has a chance to play on Sunday and Brees says he’s excited to have him in the lineup.
Thomas’ return will surely help the passing game, which is important because rushing yards might be hard to come by against this defense. The Bucs have the best run defense in the NFL, allowing just 70 yards on the ground a game. Running back Alvin Kamara explains why the Bucs are so good at stopping the run.