COVERAGE.
LET’S STRAIGHT TO BATON ROUGE WHERE AUBRY KILLION IS AT THE CAPITAL WITH THE LATEST ON THE CORONAVIRUS.
WHAT DID THE GOVERNOR HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?
REPORTER: GOVERNOR EDWARDS JUST WRAPPED UP NEWS CONFERENCE WITHIN THE HOUR.
IT WAS VERY LENGTHY AND HE HAD A LOT TO SAY.
HE DID SAY HE HAS BEEN ON THE PHONE WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE THE SITUATION.
HE ALSO TOLD US MORE CASES ARE VERY LIKELY.
WE ARE TOLD THAT THERE IS A PERSON WHO IS BEING TREATED IN NEW ORLEANS LET US FROM JEFFERSON RIGHT NOW.
GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS WAS NOT ABLE TO GIVE A SPECIFIC -- GIVE SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT THE PERSON BEING TREATED, BUT HE DID WRAP UP A NEWS CONFERENCE NOT LONG AGO.
HE SAID THIS WILL SERVE AS AN ECONOMIC IMPACT TO LOUISIANA.
HE IS TRYING TO HANDLE -- HAMMER OUT THOSE DETAILS.
HEALTH OFFICIALS, THEY ARE INTERVIEWING THOSE WHO CAME IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE PERSON WHO IS PRESUMED TO HAVE THIS VIRUS.
HE SAYS PEOPLE THAT ARE NEEDING TO TAKE CERTAIN STEPS, THINGS LIKE HANDWASHING UNCOVERING YOUR COUGH, HE SAYS IF YOU ARE SICK, YOU DON’T NEED TO BE GOING TO WORK OR SCHOOL.
HERE IS MUCH MORE ON WHAT THE GOVERNOR HAD TO SAY WITHIN THE PAST HOUR AND A HALF.
TAKE A LISTEN.
REPORTER: THAT SEEMS TO BE WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTRY AND OTHER STATES ONCE THEY GET THEIR FIRST ONE.
THEY TYPICALLY GET ANOTHER ONE AND SO FORTH.
WE DON’T HAVE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE THE CASE IN LOUISIANA.
BUT THAT IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE TAKE THE PRECAUTIONS BECAUSE WE CAN LIMIT THIS.
BUT IT WILL REQUIRE EVERYBODY DOING THEIR PART.
IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THIS IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO GET WORSE FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE IT GETS BETTER.
REPORTER: THE GOVERNOR DID NOTE IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO PANIC WITH THE SITUATION.
HE ALSO SAYS THEY HAVE HUNDREDS OF TESTS ON HAND RIGHT NOW AND MORE TESTING OPTIONS ARE ON THEIR WAY.
REPORTING LIVE, AUBRY KILLION, WDSU NEWS.
GINA: THANK YOU.
OFFICIALS IN JEFFERSON PARISH SAY NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PANIC.
THEY ADMIT, NEWS OF A CONFIRMED CORONAVIRUS CASE IS SCAR TRAVERS: BUT AS THEY TOLD WDSU’S MORGAN LENTES, THEY HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THE WORST FOR WEEKS.
SHE JOINS US NOW LIVE OUTSIDE THE YENNI BUILDING IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT THE SITUATION?
REPORTER: WE TALKED TO THE PARISH PRESIDENT AND A COUNCILMEMBER AND THEY SAY LIKE MANY COMMUNITIES, THEY ARE KEEPING IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH STATE AND FEDERAL HEALTH
OFFICIALS.
THEY SAY THAT INFORMATION HELPS THEM KEEP UP-TO-DATE AND HELPS THEM INFORM PEOPLE IN THE PARISH ON WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW.
THEY SAY THAT INFORMATION IS WHAT WILL SERVE YOU WELL GOING FORWARD.
YOU NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO THINGS LIKE WASH YOUR HANDS AND STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK.
THEY SAY THAT IS THE BEST WAY YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF.
AND THAT IS EVEN AS THEY WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE FIRST POSITIVE CORONAVIRUS CASE IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
>> I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO REMAIN CALM AND NOT OVERREACT TO ONE CASE IN THE STATE.
ESPECIALLY CLOSE BY.
JUST CONTINUE TO BE PREPARED AND DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY SAFE.
DON’T PUT YOURSELF IN A SITUATION THAT YOU COULD REGRET LATER.
REPORTER: WE WANT TO REMIND FOLKS, IT IS WORTH SAYING AGAIN, THIS IS A PERSON WHO HAS CONTRACTED THE CORONAVIRUS.
THEY ARE FROM JEFFERSON PARISH.
THEY ARE AT THE VA HOSPITAL IN NEW ORLEANS GETTING TREATMENT RIGHT NOW.
REPORTING LIVE IN JEFFERSON PARISH, I’M MORGAN LENTES, WDSU NEWS.
TRAVERS: THANK YOU.
THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS JUST WRAPPED UP A MEETING ON THE CORONAVIRUS IMPACT ON THE CITY.
GINA: SHAY O’CONNOR JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM THE VA HOSPITAL WITH DETAILS ON THE SITUATION AS THE FIRST PATIENT IS BEING TREATED THERE.
REPORTER: WE HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THE PERSON IS BEING TREATED AT THE HOSPITAL.
WE ARE TOLD THEY WERE HOSPITALIZED ON FRIDAY NIGHT.
THAT WAS THREE DAY AGO, WITH PNEUMONIA LIKE SYMPTOMS.
THE HOSPITAL TESTED THIS PERSON FOR CORONAVIRUS.
THE TEST WAS PRESUMED POSITIVE.
STATE LABS ARE USING THE TERM PRESUMED UNTIL THE TEST IS COMPLETELY CONFIRMED BY THE CDC.
WE ARE TOLD THIS PERSON HAD NOT TRAVELED ANYWHERE.
THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ARE ALSO INVESTIGATING THOSE WHO THE PERSON ACTUALLY CAME INTO CONTACT WITH.
>> THIS IS SOMETHING WE CALL CONTACT TRACING.
THE NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL ASSIST THEM HOWEVER THEY NEED ASSISTANCE.
THERE IS ONLY ONE KNOWN CASE OF COVID-19 IN THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
WE EXPECT TO SEE ADDITIONAL TESTING RAMPING UP THIS WEEK.
AS YOU KNOW, TESTS ARE BEING MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH COMMERCIAL LABS AND WE DO EXPECT THOSE TO BE ONLINE AND AVAILABLE TO LOCAL PROVIDERS.
REPORTER: WE ARE ALSO TOLD ALL PEOPLE WHO CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THIS PERSON AT THIS HOSPITAL ARE BEING ASSESSED FOR EXPOSURE AND WILL BE SELF QUARANTINED OVER THE NEXT TWO
WEEKS.
LIKE I SAID, THIS PERSON’S AGE AS WELL AS THEIR NAME IS NOT BEING RELEASED AT THIS TIME.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THIS AS WELL AS THE CDC RESULTS AS SOON AS THEY C