New federal projections have cut Louisiana’s estimation of total COVID-19 deaths by over 50%. Initial projections said 1,800 Louisianans would die of the disease. The current model estimates 800 fatalities. But Governor John Bel Edwards says now is not the time to get complacent.

Cut 14 (12) “answer.”

Attorney Jeff Landry announces Louisiana is receiving 8,000 packs of azithromycin, and 75,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets, a treatment that some speculate could help treat COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial that is now used to treat other conditions such as Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. There’s fear those patients could find the drugs in short supply, but…

Cut 9 (12) “…hydroxycloroquine″

The ACLU is suing Oakdale Federal Prison for the release of inmates that are most at-risk for COVID-19. ACLU of Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms Hebert says in order for the facility to be compliant with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines, the prison needs to be relieved of some of the 1,800 inmates.  US Attorney General William Barr issued a directive last week to reduce prison populations, but the ACLU feels the process is going too slow.

Cut 11 (12) “…de-densify that facility.”

Landlords may not be able to legally evict tenants due to Louisiana’s stay-at-home order through April 30th, but that does not excuse someone from paying rent.  Staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Hannah Adams says tenants have legal protection from a landlord’s retaliation for not paying rent.

Cut 3 (11)  “…from the home.”  

Governor Edwards says new data indicates the state may be beginning to flatten the curve of new infections, and that if we can just keep staying home and practicing proper hygiene that the state could avoid what was once a worst-case scenario of 1,800 COVID deaths. The Governor also credited healthcare workers for reducing the average amount of time patients stay on ventilators.

Cut 13 (07) “…good thing.”

If we maintain the current mitigation measures through June 1^st, a CDC model estimates 800 COVID fatalities in the state.

LSU Health Shreveport is running trials to test whether or not nitric oxide could be effective for healing lungs damaged by COVID-19. Professor of Pediatrics, Surgery & Medicine Dr. Keith Scott says the treatment is FDA approved for other diseases, readily available in hospitals, and potentially effective.

Cut 6 (10) “the real goal.”

Following the deaths of five prisoners, the ACLU is suing Oakdale Federal Prison for the release of inmates that are most at-risk for COVID-19. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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Polling from Public Policy Polling shows Louisianans are quite happy with Governor Edwards response to the COVID crisis. 68 percent of respondents approved of the Governor’s handling, while only 16 percent disapproved. The poll also showed only 5 percent of Louisianans are “not that concerned” about coronavirus and it’s impacts.

Governor Edwards says recent numbers indicate the state may be flattening the curve of new coronavirus infections, and we could be dodging a doomsday scenario where the New Orleans region runs out of healthcare capacity.

He also noted hypertension is now the clear leading underlying condition in COVID-19 fatalities, along with data that suggests a disturbing racial disparity. 70 percent of COVID deaths in the state were African Americans, who only make up 32 percent of the state’s population.

The state also reported a fatality for a newborn related to COVID-19. The East Baton Rouge Parish girl’s mother had contracted COVID-19, and the child was prematurely born as a result. EBR Coroner Beau Clark explains why pregnant moms are in the high-risk group…

Cut 8 (14) “…situation.”

Former Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who once held the NFL record for the longest made field goal, has died from complications of the coronavirus. He was 73. Demspey kicked 159 field goals in eleven NFL season, even though he was born without toes on his right foot. His former teammate and ex-Saints Q-B Billy Kilmer…

Cut 9 (11) “…he was.″

In 1970 at old Tulane Stadium, Dempsey booted a 63-yard field goal as the Saints beat the Detroit Lions on the record-breaking kick. 

Dr. Ray Authement, who served as the president of UL Lafayette for 34 years, has died.  Upon his retirement in 2008, he was the longest-serving public university president in the United States.  Current UL Lafayette President Joe Savoie says Authement’s impact on the campus can still be seen today.

Cut 12 (10) “…changed the place.”

The Louisiana Department of Health will now begin reporting the demographics of those impacted by COVID-19. Governor Edwards announced today that so far, just over 70% of the state’s COVID fatalities are African American, while only making up about a third of the population. The state is currently at 512 deaths.
An East Baton Rouge Parish mother loses her baby after her COVID-19 symptoms resulted in the child’s premature birth. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

Former Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who once held the NFL record for the longest made field goal, has died from complications of the coronavirus. In 1970 at old Tulane Stadium, Dempsey booted a 63-yard field goal as the Saints beat the Detroit Lions on the record-breaking kick. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says Dempsey told him he never saw the ball go through the uprights.
Cut 10 (13) “…the field”
Dempsey was 73.
Normally, flu activity goes down at this time of the year.   However, State Immunization Director Dr. Frank Welch says the state has not yet seen that dip as one in ten visits to a doctor is for flu-like symptoms. With the high rates of testing for COVID-19, the math paints a picture of flu activity being much higher than normal.
Cut 4 (12)_ “… fact the flu.”

Saints legendary kicker Tom Dempsey has died from complications of the coronavirus. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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LSU officials are taking extra steps to prevent the university’s live mascot, Mike VII, from contracting COVID-19. Caretakers are taking the extra precautions after a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City tested positive for the virus over the weekend.

A one day old infant in East Baton Rouge Parish dies after being prematurely born due to complications stemming from her mother’s COVID-19 case. EBR Coroner Beau Clark says the child’s death is being counted in the parish’s total COVID fatalities, because…

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He adds this is the first such case in Louisiana, but similar incidents have been reported nationwide.

Dr. Ray Authement, who served as the president of UL Lafayette for 34 years, has died at the age of 91.  Upon his retirement in 2008, he was the longest serving public university president in the United States.  Current UL Lafayette President Joe Savoie says Authement started at the school as a math professor.  Upon his retirement, he came back to the University to teach math again.

Cut 14 (12) “…to the university.”

Authement died Sunday at the age of 91.

The state reports 34 new COVID deaths bringing Louisiana’s total coronavirus fatalities to 512. One of the lives claimed was a newborn in East Baton Rouge Parish who died after being born severely premature due to her mother’s COVID symptoms. Pregnant women are considered a COVID-19 high-risk group, and EBR Coroner Beau Clark explains why…

Cut 8 (14) “…situation.”

Influenza cases should be going down at this time of the year but State Immunization Director Dr. Frank Welch says the state has not yet seen that dip as one in ten visits to a doctor is for flu-like symptoms.

Cut 3 (13)  “…to slow down.”  

Former Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who once held the NFL record for the longest made field goal, has died of COVID-19. He was 73. NFL analyst Mike Detillier remembers the two appeared together at a public event in 2011 and fans stood in a long line to get Dempsey’s autograph

Cut 11 (05) “…still remembered”

Dempsey’s record stood for more than four decades. Matt Prater broke the record in 2013 with a 64-yard field goal in Denver.

Dr. Ray Authement, who served as the president of UL Lafayette for 34 years, has died. Current UL Lafayette President Joe Savoie says it was Autement’s own time in college that guided his handling of a student’s experience.

Cut 13 (12) “…could be successful.”

Upon his retirement in 2008, he was the longest-serving public university president in the United States.

COVID-19 is now to blame for 512 deaths linked to the illness in Louisiana.  Among them, a one day old infant in East Baton Rouge Parish.  The child died after being prematurely born due to complications stemming from her mother’s COVID-19 case.  The baby will be tested for coronavirus, but EBR Coroner Beau Clark says it’s not clear yet whether the virus is vertically transmissible.

Cut 7 (09) “…child.”

Former Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who once held the NFL record for the longest made field goal, has died from complications of the coronavirus. He was 73. Demspey kicked 159 field goals in eleven NFL season, even though he was born without toes on his right foot. His former teammate and ex-Saints Q-B Billy Kilmer…

Cut 9 (11) “…he was.″

Normally. flu activity goes down at this time of the year.   However, State Immunization Director Dr. Frank Welch says the state has not yet seen that dip as one in ten visits to a doctor is for flu-like symptoms.Many of the spread mitigation efforts of coronavirus run parallel to combatting the flu as well.  Welch says the one big difference maker is having a vaccine for the flu.  While it doesn’t guarantee someone won’t get the flu, it will reduce the severity of the illness and reduce the chance of hospitalization.

Cut 5 (08)  “…want to avoid.”

Dr. Ray Authement, who served as the president of UL Lafayette for 34 years, has died at the age of 91.  Upon his retirement in 2008, he was the longest serving public university president in the United States.  Current UL Lafayette President Joe Savoie says Autement’s impact on the campus can still be seen today.

Cut 12 (10) “…changed the place.”

Louisiana reports 35 new COVID-19 deaths today just a day after reporting a record high 68 deaths yesterday. Total positive test cases have risen to just under 15,000, with over 500 now confirmed dead from the disease.

One of those fatalities was a one-day old infant in East Baton Rouge Parish that died after being prematurely born due to complications stemming from her mother’s COVID-19 case. EBR Coroner Beau Clark says the child’s death is being counted in the parishes total COVID fatalities, because…

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Flu numbers are up in Louisiana, but State Immunization Director Dr. Frank Welch says that’s in part due to the substantial number of coronavirus tests…

Cut 4 (12)_ “… fact the flu.”

The deadline to submit ACT scores for TOPS qualification has been extended to September 30^th as the ability to take a test is non-existent at the moment. LOSFA Executive Director Dr. Sujuan Boutte says a student would still need a 2.5 GPA and 20 on their ACT to qualify for at least some level of TOPS.

Cut 7 (09) “eligibility”

The traditional April national ACT test was delayed until June, and Boutte says they’re working with ACT to try to make June a possibility even if restrictions are still in place.

High school students now have until September 30th to submit ACT scores to LOSFA to quality to receive the TOPS tuition scholarship. Matt Doyle has the story.

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Dr. Ray Authement, who served as the president of UL Lafayette for 34 years, has died.  Upon his retirement in 2008, he was the longest-serving public university president in the United States.  Authement died Sunday at the age of 91.

The COVID-19 outbreak is not only impacting our physical health but mental as well. Unlike other disasters, the uncertain reality we are all facing makes it extremely challenging for families to reassure children.  LSU Psychology Asst. Professor Dr. Anna Long says when children ask questions, be honest and reassure them but also let their questions guide the conversation

Cut 6 (12) “…to normal”

New testing is starting to become available for those who may have been an asymptomatic COVID-19 positive carrier and now have recovered and likely have immunity.  State immunization director Dr. Frank Welch says this testing could be most useful in strategic hospital staffing.

Cut 12 (12) “…get it again.”

The testing is not yet widely available in Louisiana but could be more available in the coming months.