In addition to storm recovery, it also appears that southwest Louisiana is battling two COVID issues, a higher concentration of the UK variant and a lower per capita vaccination rate. Medical Director for the area Lacey Cavanaugh said while they are concerned about the more transmissible variant, they also have a lab to test for it.
“Even when that is accounted for, we’re definitely seeing more cases here than other parts of Louisiana that also have the technology so it’s not just testing by us,” said Cavanaugh.
Cavanaugh feels storm recovery is a major factor for the issues. An influx of people from all over assisting and many people are having to reside with others in close quarters, both are helping spread the variant. As for the vaccination rate, Cavanaugh believes the numbers are misleading.
“So the data, the per capita data, is based on the 2018 Census and our population has probably had some substantial shifts since then,” said Cavanaugh.
Cavanaugh believes more than 7.8-percent are vaccinated in the region because the current number of residents is not reflective of the 2018 census. Cavanaugh said many have left the area after the two hurricanes and for those who are there, getting vaccinated is not at the top of their list.
“It’s really hard to prioritize a vaccine when you don’t have a roof over your head, or food on the table,” said Cavanaugh.
Cavanaugh praised the medical community in the region for their efforts with the virus and vaccinations because they too have had to endure two hurricanes themselves.
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