NEW ORLEANS — The number of people taking advantage of drive-up Coronavirus testing in New Orleans has slowed considerably.
Despite shorter lines on Monday, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams predicts what’s to come may be worse than what we’ve seen so far.
Speaking on Fox News, he hinted at a possible peak in new COVID-19 cases and deaths over the next seven days.
“This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives, quite frankly,” Adams said. “This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized. It’s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that.”
State and local health officials have been stressing for weeks the need for aggressive social distancing measures to lessen the surge.
That is certainly the case in New Orleans where the virus has been particularly lethal.
“One out of every 20 people that have been diagnosed with this virus so far will die,” Dr. Jennifer Avegno, New Orleans Health Director said last week. “That’s why it’s up to all of us. We don’t want to be the one that results in that one in 20 dying.”
Former Louisiana Health Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee says there are some signs new cases in the New Orleans area may be leveling off.
"One of our major hospital systems had a discussion last night and I was told that the need for new patients on ventilators is going down and the number of new admissions is going down and that’s been going on for several days now, so that’s good news,” Gee said. “That is not the case everywhere in the state which is why the governor is asking for additional resources and why he’s asking for more ventilators.”
Dr. Gee, who now heads LSU’s Health Care Services Division, also noted that the Acadiana region and Lafayette area are now seeing a greater number of Coronavirus cases.
Epidemiologist Susan Hassig with Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine said it’s just not clear if Louisiana is close to hitting its peak in terms of new infections and deaths.
But she predicts when it comes it may be more of a plateau than a peak.
“I’m concerned that we are going to be in a very troubling and concerning situation for a week or two and if I’m wrong, I would be happy to be wrong," Hassig said.
In the meantime, Dr. Adams said people still have the power to change the trajectory of the Coronavirus.
“I want Americans to understand that as hard as this week is going to be there is a light at the end of the tunnel if everyone does their part for the next 30 days,” Adams said.
That means now is not the time to let down your guard. People should continue to practice social distancing and stay at home to save lives.
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