NEW ORLEANS — As daily parish case counts of COVID-19 go up and down, medical leaders on the Northshore have been dealing with more ups than downs.
“It’s not going to go away on its own,” said Region 9 Public Health Director Dr. Gina LaGarde.
LaGarde said COVID-19 has been widespread in all five Northshore parishes, which include Washington, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, St. Helena and Livingston.
According to numbers from the state health department, since the beginning of July, St. Tammany, Washington and Tangipahoa parishes have seen their highest numbers of cases per day.
LaGarde said most new cases have been in people between the ages of 18 and 29. LaGarde said numbers from the Northshore make up 10% of the state’s total case count and deaths.
One of those deaths was LaGarde’s cousin who lived in New Orleans.
“This is my cousin Nadine,” said LaGarde, pointing to a picture. “She passed away on her son’s birthday and 23 days before her 64th birthday.”
She died in early April, before face masks, social distancing and restrictions.
“I wish my cousin had that opportunity to wear a mask. I wish, knowing what we know now, that we had restrictions on how many people can gather. I wish we knew about social distancing then,” said LaGarde.
LaGarde said the good news was mitigation efforts were showing signs of impact in bringing those numbers down. In places like Covington, literal signs and storefronts serve as reminders to mask up, physically distance and practice good hygiene.
“It’s not just what the individual does but what we do collectively as a community to ensure that we work towards reducing the spread of COVID,” said LaGarde.
A community LaGarde wishes her cousin was still a part of, but one she’ll continue to try and protect from community spread.
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