U.S. Once again in the midst of a record wave of coronaviruses, in its third year, more than 150,000 new cases have been reported in the Midwest.
But the trend in Louisiana seems to be showing. At least for now.
There are no concrete theories as to whether Louisiana has the only cases like the national numbers in spring and summer, this time only slow growth. Mask wear and adherence to social distance guidelines, and the state may still have hot fall temperature factors. Alternatively, some are concerned that the state is moving in the direction of another outbreak with new cases and a small increase in hospital admissions, hidden by a decline in testing.
Louisiana’s relatively stable condition is so real that regardless of the mirage, experts advise that residents need to continue to exercise caution.
“You have to remember that there are hundreds of cases every day in Louisiana. Dr. Amesh Adalaja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, said there is always a risk that you will be satisfied and the percentage starts to turn positive and you get that increased transmission again.
Adonis became the third New Orleans cray to cancel the 2021 parade
On Friday, the U.S. About 133,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in the country, setting a new record for the third day in a row since the outbreak began in the spring. It was also the fourth consecutive day of 1,000 deaths in the country, the deadliest since the end of August Gust. According to the New York Times, the recent outbreak has taken 27 states above their previous seven-day record.
But things have remained relatively stable in Louisiana. A total of 4,4388 new cases were added to the state last week, the largest increase since mid-September, but only 12% higher than the daily statewide average in the last two months.
“In comparison, we’re looking at a very good color scheme, but it still worries me a lot because I’ve heard from people across the state that wearing masks is really a hit and there are fairs and extracurriculars associated with schools,” said Suzanne Hasig, of Tulane University. Epidemiologist. “All of those things are running clusters of cases, and people are proving that they are no longer so eager for testing.”
While the state as a whole is not looking particularly bad compared to the current months, there are some areas that are cause for concern. The area around Shreveport, which has never seen its numbers dwindle compared to other areas of the state, has seen a rapid increase in cases – more than 1,000 cases in its seven-day total jumping, an increase of more than 40% over the last week.
The last week has seen a more dramatic increase in the Lafayette area with almost double the cases. However, the overall count of 640 cases in 7 days is relatively low.
In New Orleans, Tulane University president Michael Fitt sent an email to students and staff on Friday saying the school was raising new restrictions and testing requirements after officials saw an increase in cases blaming Hurricane Zeta and Halloween celebrations. The school reported 214 positive cases last week, the biggest increase since the week in which new cases were never counted to double digits.
Louisiana Department of Health spokeswoman Kevin Litten said in an email statement that authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are particularly troubled by the rising percentage in Northeast Louisiana and the outbreak at 42 religious events, resulting in 225 new cases. The department has also been concerned that people will give their guards down and not be cautious in small settings with friends or family.
“It is human behavior to think subconsciously that your friends and loved ones are not infected with the virus,” Litten said. “But that’s not true of course. It’s important to keep this in mind as we go on holiday. It doesn’t mean we can’t spend time with our loved ones; it does mean we need to be a little more creative. We can all be safe. “
After the Baton Rouge judge refused to temporarily block the government. Following John Bell Edwards’ coronavirus bans, the governor said Thursday that he would
There has been a widespread expectation in Louisiana since mid-September, when government John Bell Edwards announced they were easing some restrictions and moving into Phase 3 of the state’s resumption plan. In New Orleans, which has maintained stricter rules than the state during the epidemic, Mayor Latoya Cantrell began ning his sanctions about two weeks later.
In the first stages of the epidemic in Louisiana and around the world, the spread of the virus has increased with the reduction of restrictions. And in Louisiana, those loose restrictions came with the introduction of individualized learning in schools and colleges, another change that is expected to lead to a growing spread.
“There’s no explanation,” said Jeff Asher of AH Datalytics, the state’s epidemiologist. “I’m sitting in anticipation.”
Business owners in New Orleans who seem to be more focused on Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s epidemic emergency orders may be out of breath.
One explanation presented by Adalaja is that Louisiana residents have taken into account the experience of the first two waves of the epidemic. “It has turned the population into a little more vulnerable, and with the behavior of a lot of people erupting in a given area,” he said.
Weather can also play a role. The current boom is happening mostly in states where cold weather has prevailed, and has lured opportunities for outdoor activities that are seen as less likely than indoor gatherings to spread the virus.
Husig said he worries about what happens when the weather reverses in Louisiana, as well as the upcoming holidays that will probably see families gather for the celebration.
Kinallia Hampton assists Dr. Renata Allen while conducting coronavirus nasal tests on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans.
“It’s not just strangers. That’s it [who] Is dear to us and .. risk and potentially dangerous for us, ”he said. “Honestly, this is one of the things I’m thinking about: if we get a lot of unlimited spread among people under 0 years of age, when they get together with their family – which will include older pay generations – then I’m worried. ‘We’re going to see more impact. ”
Then there is the possibility that existing coronavirus numbers are a mirage. Tests have been disrupted several times in recent months due to hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta in the state. With each hurricane the test was reduced and new infections were detected.
The reluctance to test in the first place in some areas of the state has put it at the top, Hasig said.
Overall, this could mean that the virus is still spreading but it does not appear in official statistics.
Another explanation, which has made fewer contracts, is the effect of previous waves on the sensitivity of Louisiana’s population. With approximately 187,700 cases confirmed, Louisiana has the highest per capita rate in the country and the number of diagnosed infections could be many times higher.
Dr. Ren. Renata Allen University of Holy Cross, New Orleans, Thursday, Sept. 24, conducts coronavirus nasal tests during testing in 2020.
It will fall short of the threshold required for any type of animal immunity, but it can work to slow the spread of the disease among people like essential workers who are in regular contact with others, Asher said.
“It could probably be a harder time to spread here than anywhere else,” he said.
Hasig, however, suspected that enough people had been infected to affect the transmission potential of the virus.
“I don’t think that’s enough to make a significant change in mobility.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated on November 8, 2020, and includes statements from the Louisiana Department of Health.
