The Rundown: More on coronavirus relief package and what it means for Louisiana
Today in The Rundown: A major racial divide in coronavirus spread in Louisiana; more details from the White House about supplies Louisiana’s gotten from the federal government to respond to the coronavirus outbreak; the latest coronavirus figures in Louisiana; what Louisiana has spent so far to combat covid-19; and more!
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The Countdown…
Days until Louisiana Legislature is scheduled to return to session: TBD
Days until the Governor’s stay-at-home order is lifted: 22
Days until the Louisiana legislative session must end: 54
Days until the newly-scheduled Louisiana presidential primary: 73
Days until the presidential/senatorial/congressional election: 209
Days until the Louisiana runoff election (as needed): 241
Coronavirus in Louisiana
The Numbers…
Cases: 14,867
In Hospitals: 1,809 (On ventilation: 563)
Deaths: 512
Tests administered (state and privately reported): 69,166
Parishes with reported cases: 62 (of 64)
**Numbers reported as of noon April 6. For updated numbers see: The Louisiana Department of Health.
The News…
Did you catch our weekend deep dive into the CARES Act, the coronavirus relief package? Catch up here: https://bit.ly/3aLtNWs
Major update: It was obvious from the get go — even though most stories about coronavirus deaths in the media focused on the more white, affluent, “unexpected” deaths — the deadly virus has disproportionately affected black residents of the state. Devastatingly so.
Gov. John Bel Edwards revealed on Monday that more than 70% of the people who have died with coronavirus in Louisiana were black. The startling number illustrates how the disease has rocked the black community — only about a third of the state’s population.
The Louisiana Department of Health has begun weekly reporting of coronavirus-related deaths in Louisiana broken down by racial lines and underlying conditions.
Here’s the first chart, showing the huge disparity and the various underlying conditions that are exacerbating the state’s morbidity from the deadly virus.
There are a number of factors here in play, but we’ve known that Louisiana ranks at the bottom in several health categories including heart disease, obesity, kidney disease and diabetes — those also disproportionately affect black people in the state.
The deep, and often racist, roots of these issues are obviously playing out through the spread of the virus. If you look at the numbers, there’s no way to argue otherwise.
Something more positive… A leveling? Louisiana has seen a leveling off in deaths and hospitalizations — two positive signs that the state’s mitigation efforts may be working to great effect or that something else is at play that is making the virus not as lethal.
Louisiana recorded 14,867 cases on Monday — rapidly approaching the 15,000 milestone this week. There have been 512 deaths, and all but two parishes have had coronavirus cases confirmed (one of the two has had no tests recorded).
But when you take a deeper look at the number of people hospitalized and the number of people on ventilators, there may be a glimmer of hope, if the current trend holds true.
There were 1,809 hospitalized under Monday's numbers, up just six from Sunday, and 563 on ventilators, up two from the day before. This followed a weekend of relatively level numbers in those areas, which experts have agreed are among the most critical stats for tracking the virus' spread.
White House assistance to Louisiana: A White House official has provided updated numbers and information to The Rundown to provide more insight into the assistance that the federal government has given Louisiana to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the state.
“Our partnerships with state and local leaders, and the private sector, are an integral part of our whole-of-America approach to responding to this global pandemic,” the official said. “President Trump and his Administration are committed to doing everything possible to protect the health and safety of every single American.”
As of April 1, FEMA has allocated $45.2 million to Louisiana’s covid-19 response.
Breaking it down…
The federal government has provided these medical supplies to Louisiana:
N-95 Masks: 208,300
Surgical Masks: 494,800
Face Shields: 101,980
Surgical Gowns: 83,600
Coveralls: 3,700
Gloves: 483,300
Ventilators: 350
Medical Station Boots: 500
The White House official also noted: The federal government has committed two 250-bed Federal Medical Stations, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing the state and New Orleans with assessment and evaluation support for alternative care facilities.
There are also three 3 federally-supported testing sites in the New Orleans area (UNO Lakefront Arena, Louis Armstrong Park, Alario Center), and an epidemiology team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Louisiana Emergency Operations Center.
State spending: Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told reporters Monday that Louisiana has spent $573 million on combatting coronavirus so far — more than $100 million of that going to the opening of a health care facility in the convention center in New Orleans. FEMA currently is set to reimburse the state for 75% of the costs, thanks to the president’s federal disaster declaration. Once it tops the $660 million mark, that should go up to 90%.
Currently, states are barred from using federal dollars toward their state match, but state officials have said they hope to convince the federal government to grant them flexibility to put some of the money in the CARES Act to cover those additional, unexpected costs.
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