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Gov Edwards Urges Remote Work To Fight Covid-19

Courtesy: Chuck Smith / Red River Radio News

LA COVID-19 -  The latest Covid-19 update from the  Louisiana  Department of Health reports  2,679 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 47 more confirmed deaths, bringing Louisiana’s  Covid related death total closer to 8,000 .   The number of hospitalizations  decreased by 58, and the number of patients in need of ventilators decreased by 10.  There are also 45,345 total "probable" coronavirus cases in Louisiana. Yesterday,   Governor  John Bel Edwards issued a statement on Twitter  encouraging  employers to allow their employees to work from home if possible  to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“I am strongly encouraging all employers and businesses to ustilize remote work whenever possible,” Edwards said. “Limiting the number of people in an office setting not only helps to slow the spread of covid, it also insures that employees remain healthy and productive.”

"Limiting the number of people in an office setting not only helps to slow the spread of covid, it also insures that employees remain healthy and productive." Governor John Bel Edwards, Louisiana

Credit Courtesy: Governor John Bel Edwards Facebook Page
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Courtesy: Governor John Bel Edwards Facebook Page
Gov. Edwards urged employers to use more remote work methods to help fight spread of Covid-19.

New, more contagious variants of the Coronavirus  first identified in the United Kingdom, have been detected in the New Orleans area last week.  The latest vaccination data for Louisiana shows that a total of 301,316 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been given since December 14th with over 33,000  more  doses administered  since the Department of Health's last update on Tuesday.

COVID VACCINE HESITANCY- Public health experts say many groups are still hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  Allison Winnike is President and CEO of The Immunization Partnership, a Houston-based non-profit.  She says medical experts estimate that to curb the pandemic, at least 70 percent of the population needs to get vaccinated but closer to 94 percent would need to be vaccinated to end the pandemic.

Credit Courtesy: The Immunization Partnership
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Courtesy: The Immunization Partnership
Allison Winnike, President & CEO for The Immunization Partnership

“But with these problems with trust, messaging, vaccine availability, distribution and access, these are real hurdles that we need to address, and at the local level”, Winnike explained.

Winnike talked during a press conference earlier this week organized by Children at Risk, a research and advocacy nonprofit.

Chuck Smith brings more than 30 years' broadcast and media experience to Red River Radio. He began his career as a radio news reporter and transitioned to television journalism and newsmagazine production. Chuck studied mass communications at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and motion picture / television production at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has also taught writing for television at York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina and video / film production at Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport.