The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first presumptive positive case of the COVID-19, commonly referred to as the coronavirus. The patient is a Jefferson Parish resident who is hospitalized in Orleans Parish.
Governor Edwards told lawmakers about the case on the opening day of the 2020 Legislative session.
“Now together, all of us, as a government, as a healthcare system, providers, schools, businesses, neighbors, we must take action and be vigilant to prevent the spread of this virus in our great state,” says Edwards.
Edwards encourages lawmakers to share accurate information with their constituents and issued the most up to date information about ongoing testing in the state.
“We’ve completed fifteen tests so far at the state’s public health lab, fourteen are negative and one is positive. We’ve recently received two additional test kits from the CDC and have the capacity for several hundred tests,” says Edwards.
Edwards reaffirmed that his office will announce all confirmed cases and that the state is being as proactive as possible to contain the virus.
“For anyone who is presumed positive, we will also be completing what epidemiologists call contact tracing. To make sure we are accessing the risk to the people who have come in contact with them and taking additional testing to prevent the spread,” says Edwards
