The Lambda variant, first discovered in Peru, has now been found in Northwest Louisiana. Matt Doyle has the story.

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LSU faculty addressed the administration on Friday over their pandemic concerns as the university plans to return to in-person instruction for most classes. Brooke Thorington has more

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Interfor Corporation announces it will invest eight million dollars to revive the idled Georgia Pacific sawmill near DeQuincy. The governor’s office says the project will create 170 new jobs. Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance CEO George Swift says the mill was shut down last May due to the pandemic

Cut 3 (11) “…in particular.” 

Interfor plans to restart operations in the first half of 2022. Swift says Interfor is based in Canada and is one of North America’s largest lumber producers…

Cut 4 (12) “…gonna do.” 

The mill near DeQuincy has an annual lumber production capacity of 200 million board feet. Swift says the revived plant will support significant logging and logistics activity in the region…

Cut 5 (08) “…this industry”

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For the fourth straight day, Louisiana has set a record for the number of COVID patients in the hospital. It’s now up to 2,421 and according to health officials, 90-percent of the hospitalized are unvaccinated. Governor John Bel Edwards says the state is at the leading edge of this fourth surge

Cut 6 (12) “..even close.”

The state health department says over the past two weeks about one percent of Louisiana residents have become infected with COVID-19. Edwards says more than six thousand children have tested positive this week, which is why children five and up should wear a mask in schools

Cut 7 (12) “…young people” 

Edwards says nearly 38-percent of the state’s population is vaccinated one of the lowest rates in the nation. But he says the number of people seeking coronavirus vaccines has grown by 300-percent during this surge…

Cut 8 (07) “..some time”

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Seven Lamba COVID variants have been sequenced in Louisiana so far, all clustered in Northwest Louisiana.

LSU Health Shreveport Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Jeremy Kamil says Lambda is not an offshoot of the now-dominant Delta variant.

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Lambda likely crossed the border from Texas where the variant is more prevalent and is thought to be responsible for a surge of cases in Peru, where it now is responsible for 97% of new cases.

Kamil says right now there’s not enough data to know whether Lambda is any more transmissible or virulent than other strains, and state health officials will be keeping a close eye on it.

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While seven Lambda variants have been sequenced in Louisiana compared to 940 Delta variants. Most positive tests are not sampled and levels of variant circulation are largely estimated.

Kamil says there’s no reason to believe that this new variant will bypass vaccines.

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The was a report suggesting Chinese vaccines were ineffective against Lambda in Peru, but Kamil says there’s no hard data to back that up, and the numbers could be misleading due to the country’s low 17% vaccination rate. Lambda now makes up about 97 percent of new cases in Peru.

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LSU faculty expressed their concerns on Friday over the return of in-person teaching especially with only 34-percent of the students reportedly vaccinated. They want the option to teach classes virtually or limit in-person capacity to 50-percent. Kevin Yua (rhymes with wow) Coordinator of LSU World Languages, Literatures and Cultures says previous mitigation rules were not always followed.

Cut 12 (12) “..enforced” 

LSU President William Tate told faculty at the meeting that once the vaccine receives full FDA approval he intends to issue a vaccine mandate.

History Professor Meredith Veldman questioned school leaders over their true concern for the safety of the university’s students and staff when a statement on their website claims it’s a priority, yet their actions do not.

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Veldman says President Tate should follow the science and allow instructors to choose their teaching modes, 100-percent remote, hybrid with 50-percent occupancy for its on-campus component, or in-person with 50-percent capacity. She says the pandemic is at worse levels now than it ever was in spring 2020 when the school went entirely remote.

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There was no official response from the board to faculty members.

Another COVID-19 variant has been detected in Louisiana. LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport has found the Lambda variant in seven cases in northwest Louisiana. But LSU Health Shreveport Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Jeremy Kamil says there’s no reason to believe that this new variant will bypass the vaccines that are available…
cut 11 (08) “….well”
The was a report suggesting Chinese vaccines were ineffective against Lambda in Peru, but Kamil says there’s no hard data to back that up.

There’s good economic development news for Louisiana. Canadian-based Interfor Corporation announces plans to invest eight million dollars to restart an idle sawmill near DeQuincy. Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance CEO George Swift says the revived plant will support significant logging and logistics activity in the region…
Cut 5 (08) “…this industry”
The project is expected to create 170 new jobs.

LSU faculty addressed the administration this morning over their pandemic concerns as the university plans to return to in-person instruction for most classes. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (32)…I’m Brooke Thorington”

Governor John Bel Edwards says nearly 38-percent of the state’s population is vaccinated one of the lowest rates in the nation. But he says the number of people seeking a vaccine has grown by 300-percent during this surge…
cut 8 (07) “….for some time”

Another COVID variant has made its way into Louisiana as seven Lamba variants have been sequenced in northwest Louisiana. LSU Health Shreveport Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Jeremy Kamil says Lambda is not an offshoot of the now-dominant Delta variant.
Cut 9 (08) “…Peru”
Kamil is confident the vaccines available in the U-S can provide protection against the Lambda variant.

Interfor Corporation announces it will invest eight million dollars to revive the idled Georgia Pacific sawmill near DeQuincy. The governor’s office says the project will create 170 new jobs. Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance CEO George Swift says the mill was shut down last May due to the pandemicCut 3 (11) “…in particular.”

Interfor plans to restart operations in the first half of 2022.

Nursing shortages are exacerbating the impact of the Delta surge. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Hundreds of angry parents went to the St. Tammany Parish School Board meeting last night to protest the school system’s policy that calls on all students five years old and up to wear a mask. One parent called the mask mandate communism. Superintendent Frank Jabbia told the anti-maskers that the mandate is not an option and they should make their complaints to the governor’s office.

The state has reached a milestone in an effort to increase the vaccination rate. The Louisiana Health Department is reporting over two million Louisianans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccine hesitancy can be found among African-Americans. Tulane School of Public Health Dean Doctor Thomas LaVeist says most hesitant Blacks are not anti-vax, they just have unanswered questions. One of the most common concerns is potential long-term impacts, which can be addressed.
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500 residents in Shreveport can earn 100-dollars by getting their first COVID vaccine shot tomorrow. Mayor Adrian Perkins…
cut 8 (07) “….much higher”
There are two community vaccination events tomorrow in Shreveport, the first 250 people at each site will be eligible to receive 100-dollars.

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities face a shortage of nurses, a problem that’s hitting home as the delta variant surge tears through the state. Louisiana State Nurses Association President Ecoee (E-Coy) Rooney says the shortage isn’t a surprise, but the timing is bad.
Cut 4 (09) “..retiring.”
Rooney says they are seeing an increase in nursing students, but that can not help the current situation.

State officials want to remind residents that the LA Wallet app has a feature that can display their vaccination status. Since the feature was launched in the spring, LA Wallet Project Manager Sara Kelley says they’ve seen a big increase in users opting in for vaccine status.
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Governor John Bel Edwards will hold a press conference at 1:30 today to update Louisiana residents about the state’s response to the ongoing fourth surge of COVID-19 cases. The number of COVID hospitalizations is 2,350, a record high since the pandemic started.

Nursing shortages are exacerbating the impact of the Delta surge. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

If you’re on the fence about getting vaccinated, the City of Shreveport is offering 100-bucks to entice you to roll up your sleeve. Mayor Adrian Perkins says they will hold a vaccination event at two community centers tomorrow and the first 250 at each location can pad their wallets.
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Perkins says the city is using money from the American Rescue Act to pay for the vaccine incentive program.

Tulane School of Public Health Dean and co-chair of Louisiana’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Thomas LaVeist is working to end the vaccine hesitancy seen among African-Americans. LaVeist says skepticism is the result of a documented history of medical racism…
cut 12 (10) “…distrust”

Over 23-hundred people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Louisiana, a record high since the pandemic started. A month ago, 338 people were hospitalized. But the state is also seeing an increase in vaccinations. Over 54-thousand doses have been administered since Monday.

So, what would it take to convince you to get a COVID vaccine if you haven’t already? How about 100-dollars? Brooke Thorington has more
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Over 500 Ochsner Health employees are quarantining after being diagnosed with COVID-19. That’s just adding to the nursing shortage issue as hospitals struggle to care for coronavirus patients. Louisiana State Nurses Association President Ecoee Rooney says beyond the lack of nurses the pandemic has also created a major financial incentive for nurses at regional hospitals to take travel assignments.
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You can possess a digital version of your vaccination card through the LA Wallett app. LA Wallet Project Manager Sara Kelley says when an LA Wallet user opts in to add their vaccination status it pulls data from the LINKS system with the department of health. It must match the name, birth date, and zip code on your driver’s license.
Cut 14 (07) “…logo.”
If you can not pull up a digital version of your vaccine status on LA Wallet, Kelley says contact your physician or your parish health unit.