FIRST RESPONDERS - A big concern among medical staff, first responders and those who work in Law Enforcement is exposure to the Coronavirus. And yesterday afternoon Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator announced that some Sheriff Department staff have tested positive.
“We’ve had a total of five that work for the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office that have come back positive,” Prator said.
Sheriff Prator explained that precautions have been taken to contact anyone who may have come in contact with those who tested positive.
"We have about 25 deputies, and when I say deputies, they call themselves deputies," explained Prator"but they are various staff, throughout the sheriff’s office that are on self-quarantine and we have no one that’s in serious condition.”
Prator made the announcement during a joint webstream press conference with other local officials, each participating remotely via internet connection. While there appears to be a slight decrease in the rate of COVID-19 infections in Northwest Louisiana, Dr. Martha Whyte, medical director with Louisiana Department of Health – Region 7, explained the count is not really reflective of what’s going on.
“We have several more that have not been counted in state’s numbers so, we’re going to see a dramatic climb in our numbers,” Whyte said. “They are not slowing down. People need to take this seriously."
Dr. Whyte pointed out that while younger people may think they aren’t at too great a risk for Covid-19 illness, there are cases of younger patients in hospitals.
Dr. Whyte stressed "So, I want people to be aware that while you may think that you may be invincible because you’re young and healthy, there are people just like you on ventilators and dying in our own community.”
According to the Louisiana Department of Health’s Coronavirus webpage – The number of COVID-19 cases in Caddo Parish is 242 with 7 deaths reported, Bossier Parish has 63 cases and 1 death reported, Webster has 17 and 1 death, DeSoto Parish has 30 cases and 1 death.
For more information on Covid-19 in Louisiana, CLICK Louisiana Dept. of Health Coronavirus
