UPDATE: The patient below currently lives and is hospitalized in Lafourche Parish. LDH, after receiving more information from the patient removed, Iberia Parish from their list of presumptive positive cases.
The patient, according to LDH is still presumptive positive. Read more here.
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There are 13 cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana and today, Governor John Bel Edwards announced Iberia Parish has been impacted by the disease.
Tonight, we've learned that patient is not in Acadiana. The Governor's Office said the Iberia Parish patient is being treated in Lafourche Parish, but they are not releasing any other details about the patient.
Just before our 10:00 newscast, Ochsner Health confirmed to KATC that they are treating a patient with COVID-19 at Ochsner St. Anne in Lafourche Parish.
Right now, Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, Iberia, Lafourche and Caddo Parishes are affected by the coronavirus.
Governor Edwards said, "That list of parishes that we put out as being impacted means that an individual from that parish is presumptively positive or they are being hospitalized in that parish or potentially both."
Edwards said the coronavirus is community spread in the Orleans area. His task force has conducted contact tracing.
"These individuals are not contracting this infection by travel," said Edwards. "We can't identify any individuals they have contacted."
The Governor said the number of confirmed cases will change frequently and he does expect the number of confirmed cases to continue to rise. The Governor urging citizens to stay calm and take appropriate precautions.
"At some point, the number of COVID-19 cases will peak and the duration of this event will be known," Edwards said. "It's obvious that what we're trying to do is have the peak as low as possible and that the duration of the event slows. We don't want the demand on our healthcare providers all at one time."
Edwards said as the spread of COVID-19 continues to evolve, communities will continue to take precautions and cancel events as needed.
"These cancellations are being done with the public's health and safety in mind. That's always the case. We obiviously want everyone to be safe and healthy. I know in the future we will go back to enjoying things as normal here in Louisiana."
Ochsner Health said, "Today the Louisiana Office of Public Health (OPH) has confirmed two patients with COVID-19 at Ochsner Health -- one at Ochsner St. Anne and one at Ochsner West Bank."
The health system has implemented its COVID-19 response plan. "Once we suspected that this case had the potential to be COVID-19, we followed the appropriate isolation and protective measures outlined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as their guidelines for hospital personnel and visitors," Ochsner Health said. "We then notified OPH who provided guidance and administered the test."
The health system's statement went on to say, "We delivered care to these patients in a way that protects the health of our patients and caregivers. The health and well-being of our patients and staff remains our top priority. We want to thank our care teams for their preparation while acting immediately and appropriately."
As for the status of the two patients at Ochsner, the statement said, "In compliance with federal patient privacy regulations and out of respect for patients and their families, we are unable to make any further comments regarding the patients' condition."
