Impact of hurricane on COVID-19 still out

Gov. John Bel Edwards said it’s too soon to know whether the impact of Hurricane Laura will force Louisiana to remain in Phase Two of economic recovery when the current order ends Sept. 11.

“It is just not possible for me to tell you what we are going to do in two weeks,” Edwards said.

But he said he was concerned that hospitalizations were up.

Edwards’ comments came during a stop in Ruston on Friday to survey the hurricane damage. Since then, hospitalizations statewide have continued to climb, as have newly confirmed cases of the potentially fatal respiratory virus.

However, the rate of the increases has slowed.

As of noon Tuesday, Lincoln Parish recorded 912 cases of COVID-19, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

That’s six cases more than were recorded on Monday, and a jump of 28 cases for the week.

Both reporting and testing for the novel coronavirus have been slowed because of the hurricane. Testing resumed Tuesday in parts of South Louisiana, including the hard-hit Lake Charles area.

Southwest Louisiana was the hottest region for positive cases of the virus before the hurricane hit. As of the last weekend, about 3,000 residents of the region who fled the storm were huddled in motels or with friends or family around the state, the governor said.

That close contact, along with the opening of schools and college campuses, and the coming Labor Day holiday are ripe for the virus to spread, Edwards said.

Edwards announced Aug. 26 that he was extending the Phase Two recovery for another two weeks.

Despite progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the state, The White House Coronavirus Task Force still has Louisiana in the red zone for new cases.