OVERNIGHT SPIKE - Governor John Bel Edwards has said the rapid growth of Coronavirus cases in Louisiana is very alarming as Wednesday marked the biggest one-day spike in cases and deaths in the state. During his press conference yesterday, Edwards explained this is a rapidly escalating public health emergency and that the critical shortage of ventilators is a major concern.
"Our ventilator capacity is far from okay," explained Edwards. "The problem isn't that the cases are growing everyday, it is that they're growing rapidly every day. And this alarming growth has a devastatingly fast impact on our resources and the ability to take care of people."
Edwards explained as the spike in Covid-19 cases continues, the demand for treatment resources will stress current treatment capabilities, especially considering patients with other respiratory illnesses brought on from influenza and other conditions. Edwards said New Orleans could run out of ventilators to keep the most ill patients alive by early April. There are a combined 1,186 cases and 44 deaths in Orleans and Jefferson parishes.
