Topline
As Louisiana is already experiencing a significant Covid-19 surge, Hurricane Ida will likely make landfall Sunday in Louisiana as a category four storm. This will further stress Louisiana hospitals which are already full. Residents are forced to gather in shelters to fuel more Covid-19 transmission.
A news crew reports from Lake Pontchartrain as Hurricane Ida approaches New... [+] Orleans on August 29. ASSOCIATED PRS
The Key Facts
Dr. Anthony Fauci stated on CNN Sunday that Hurricane Idas potential impact upon Louisianas Covid-19 epidemic was troubling. However, major New Orleans hospitals did not evacuate. Governor. John Bel Edwards stated on CBS Sunday that it wasn't possible because no hospitals have the capacity to handle them. Ochsner Health System chief medical officer Robert Hart told the New Orleans Advocate that hospitals are also being challenged by how staff can be socially distant while still staying at the hospital for days in the event of a prolonged power outage. Covid-19 transmission to shelters for residents who have been evacuated is also a concern. However, measures such as temperature checks and mask wearing will be taken. Shelter managers cannot refuse people without masks. However, Barbara Casterlin, shelter manager, told the Associated Press that they will be separated in an isolated area. Sharon Weston Broome, Baton Rouge Mayor, told CBS shelters that there will also be separate areas for those who have tested positive to Covid-19.
Important Quote
Fauci stated on CNN that even though you are stretched to the limits, to add to it what is likely to be a historic weather-environmental catastrophe is going to make matters worse.
Big Number
2,450 Bel Edwards stated that this is how many people in Louisiana were being treated with Covid-19 as of Saturday. Although this is still the highest state pandemic rate and the highest in the nation, Bel Edwards noted that hospitalizations have decreased by at least 20% over the last 10 days. This is a very important fact as we head into Hurricane Irma.
Tangent
Ida will also impact Louisiana. Mississippi is also experiencing one of the highest Covid-19 rates in America. The governor of Mississippi has also prepared the hospitals for the storm. Tate Reeves stated Saturday that federal health care teams would provide additional hospital beds to patients who are evacuated from the storm. Reeves stated that there is no doubt this storm will pose real challenges.
Important Background
Ida will make landfall in southeastern Louisiana on Sunday as an extremely dangerous major storm. The National Hurricane Center reports that maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph. This is just short of the 157 mph needed to declare the storm a category five hurricane. The area is likely to be devastated by the storm's extreme winds and heavy rainfall. Near the coast, mandatory evacuations were required. Those in the New Orleans region, who are better protected by storm surge protection, received a voluntary order. According to Bel Edwards, Saturday Ida is expected to be the most powerful storm the region has ever faced since the 1850s.
Continue reading
Hurricane Ida is Extremely Dangerous, but could still strengthen to Category 5 before Landfall (Forbes).
In the face of Hurricane Ida's surge in COVID, most patients at coastal hospitals are evacuated (New Orleans Advocate).
Louisiana hospitals are crowded with virus-infected patients. Ida (Associated Press).
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