The Louisianans under observation for the novel coronavirus aren’t showing symptoms and may soon be cleared, but the state still is expecting to see the virus surface here as testing becomes more widely available, officials said this morning.
A group of students and teachers from St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge returned Feb. 27 from a trip to Italy and remain at home under observation for a 14-day period to ensure they did not contract the virus, Gov. John Bel Edwards said today. Italy is among the countries that have reported a large number of confirmed cases and visitors to those areas are being monitored for possible infection.
As The Daily Advertiser reports, Edwards, who was in Lafayette today at an opening event for the new Lafayette regional office of the Louisiana Department of Revenue, says a confirmed case has not been reported in Louisiana, but one is expected soon as other states are identifying cases.
Edwards says his administration is in communication with officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services “every single day.”
“They believe there will be some amount of community spread and that it will hit every state,” Edwards says. “We believe that is what is most likely to happen, and we are trying to be as prepared as possible.”
Coronavirus testing kits were shipped to state health officials over the weekend, says Tina Stefanski, director of Louisiana’s Region 4 Office of Public Health. The CDC also has relaxed its strict testing guidelines, allowing anyone to be tested under a doctor’s order. Read the full story.
