The FDA approves a new saliva test for COVID-19 developed by Yale researchers known as SalivaDirect that is being called a testing innovation game-changer. Kevin Barnhart has more.
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says Progressive and Louisiana Farm Bureau plan to reduce their auto insurance rates by two and eight-percent respectively. Jeff Palermo has more…
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The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two tropical waves in the Atlantic, both of them have a good chance at developing into named storms over the next five days. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s not a surprise the tropics are getting active
Keim says it remains to be seen if these systems get in the Gulf of Mexico, but conditions are ripe for them to become a real threat.
There’s Invest 97 in the eastern Caribbean, which has a medium chance to develop into a named storm over the next five days. Invest 98 is farther away from land and expected to develop first and could become Tropical Storm Laura. Keim says we’ve never had an L named storm this early in the season.
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A new saliva test for COVID-19, known as SalivaDirect, gets the thumbs up from the FDA. LSU Health New Orleans infectious disease expert Dr. Catherine O’Neal says this test differs from other saliva tests because not only is it a quick and easy collection, but they can skip the extraction step saving time and money.
Unlike the nasal swab tests where a swab is inserted deeply into the nose, the saliva test would be less invasive and only require someone to spit into a collection tube.
The test was developed by researchers at Yale. O’Neal says this test will also cut down on wait times to get a result.
Cut 7 (05) “…matter of hours.”
SalivaDirect is considered a testing innovation game-changer by reducing demand on the supply chain of scarce testing resources.
O’Neal sees value in using the tests for communal living settings.
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Yale Researchers say they expect labs will only charge about $10 per sample with this test.
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A federal judge in New Orleans rejects a request by ten southeast Louisiana bar owners to stop the statewide order closing bars.
Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says this is what he expected out of the federal court because the standard of review for public health orders is highly deferential to local authorities.
The bar owners argued that shutting down bars violated equal protection under the constitution and that they did not receive due process.
State officials presented data showing the closure of bars in Louisiana helped slow the spread of coronavirus. Ciolino says that’s all Judge Martin Feldman needed.
It’s another in a string of losses for those challenging things like the mask mandate or bar closures in court. Ciolino says…
A similar case is being decided in a Lafayette US District Court. It is not currently known when Judge Robert Summerhays will make a ruling.
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Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says Louisiana Farm Bureau and Progressive will reduce their auto insurance rates by eight and two percent respectively. Donelon says both companies have been dropping lowering their premiums
Donelon says State Farm has also reduced its rates over the last two years by 24-percent. He says State Farm, Progressive, and Farm Bureau cover over 50-percent of the private passenger auto insurance market in Louisiana. He expects other insurance providers to reduce rates as well…
Donelon says a factor that has led to lower premiums is fewer accidents on the road…