Healthcare experts say the drug Ivermectin should not be used to treat COVID because it’s ineffective against the disease. Brooke Thorington has more.
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Governor Edwards says it’s frustrating to hear that some people aren’t taking the vaccine because it is still under emergency use authorization. Matt Doyle has more.
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The Biden Administration says they will pull federal funding among nursing homes that do not have staff fully vaccinated for COVID. Brooke Thorington has more.
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Healthcare experts say Ivermectin should not be used to treat COVID as it is wholly ineffective against the disease.
LSU Health New Orleans Chief of Community Medicine Dr. Ben Springgate says don’t take it unless you got parasitic worms.
Springgate says taking Ivermectin can give people a false sense that they are treating their COVID when they aren’t, and it can come with some nasty side effects.
The treatment gained some popularity in recent weeks due to social media misinformation. Springgate says don’t believe everything you see online…
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COVID has caused yet another event to be canceled in the Sportsman Paradise. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is canceling National Hunting and Fishing Day events that were scheduled across the state for September 25th. LDWF spokesperson Ed Pratt says it was a tough decision to make.
NHFD is an annual event that takes place across the country on the fourth Saturday in September. Pratt says LWDF’s decision to not participate this year was to protect the health of participants and staff.
Pratt says it’s an event that LDWF looks forward to each year they will especially miss the opportunity to watch families and young people learning about hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Pratt hopes that next year we will be in a much better situation and able to hold the event.
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Governor Edwards says there are now ten times as many people in the hospital with COVID than there were at the start of July.
Edwards says those who are waiting for full authorization from the FDA to take a vaccine are making a serious mistake. If you get hospitalized with COVID you’ll be treated by therapeutics under emergency use authorization…
Full authorization for Pfizer is expected early next month.
Edwards says there are now ten times as many people in the hospital with COVID today than there were to start July. The over 3,000 hospitalized is about the size of his hometown of Amite.
The just under 12,000 total statewide COVID deaths would be enough to all but wipe out cities like Mandeville, Crowley, Bogalusa, Minden, or Morgan City.
LSU is set to host McNeese at Tiger Stadium in less than a month. Despite this surge in cases, Edwards is confident that if people mask up when moving in and out of the facility it should be safe.
Saints fans will have to show proof of vaccine or negative COVID test to gain entry to the Superdome for the preseason opener against Jacksonville Monday.
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The Biden Administration says they will pull federal funding from nursing homes that don’t have fully immunized staff. AARP State Executive Director Denise Bottcher applauds the president’s decision in an effort to protect residents and other staff members from COVID exposures from unvaccinated employees.
Bottcher says the decision to withdraw Medicare and Medicaid funding from nursing homes that do not have fully vaccinated staff is direly needed as infection rates among employees are rising and will eventually affect residents.
According to AARP’s most recent dashboard since July 28th the state has recorded 30 more deaths from COVID among nursing home residents. From June 2nd to July 21st only three COVID deaths were reported in nursing homes.
Staff vaccination rates in Louisiana have increased but only by one percent to 49-percent. Bottcher said the nursing home staff vaccination rate in Louisiana mirrors the state vaccination towards the bottom compared to other states.
The Louisiana Nursing Home Association released a statement saying that once CMS releases the guidance, facilities will comply, as doing so is required to continue caring for residents who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid. Our focus remains on protecting Louisiana’s most vulnerable during this pandemic.