Thread by @BlakePater

. @LouisianaGov getting started with a full court of white coats for today’s press conference

.@LouisianaGov says that tomorrow's numbers from @LADeptHealth will show the highest level of hospitalizations from COVID since the pandemic began. "There are no signs on the horizon that cases will flatten."

Gov. John Bel Edwards reissues a statewide mask mandate covering all indoor public settings, including K-12 schools, churches, universities, businesses, etc. "It has become clear that our current recommendations on their own are not strong enough to deal with our fourth surge"

Louisiana's new mask mandate goes into effect on Wednesday and covers everyone age 5 and up, with some exceptions. It mirrors the CDC recommendations. #lagov
theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/ne…

"We can't send our children back into schools unvaccinated and unmasked," Gov. John Bel Edwards says. He adds that its important for kids to get in-person learning, and we need to make that setting as safe as possible. #lagov

The mask mandate will be in place until Sept. 1. "I cannot sit by in good conscience while our hospitals lose the capacity to deliver lifesaving care," Edwards says.

13.4% of all ER visits in Louisiana are for COVID-like illnesses -- the highest its been at any other point during the pandemic, says @JoeKanter

1,984 COVID patients are currently hospitalized throughout Louisiana. The first surge peaked 1991, second surge peaked at 1600, third surge peaked at 2069. Louisiana is on track to exceed that last number tomorrow, @JoeKanter says

The average age of COVID-19 patients in Louisiana has dropped by a decade. It was 75 at the end of 2020 and its now 65, @JoeKanter says.

@JoeKanter Louisiana's largest hospital onboarded a 33-member disaster medical assistance team Monday. "It's a rather extreme resource," Kanter said. "We typically don't see these DMAT teams outside of extreme disasters." My story on their arrival this morning >>
theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/ne…

.@JoeKanter: "While we are in this surge, do not blow off any symptoms. If you have any symptoms no matter how mild, even a sore throat, even a runny nose, even a sinus infection, go get tested." But avoid the ER unless it's an emergency.

Dr. Mark Kline, physician-in-chief at Children’s Hospital New Orleans: "I am as worried about our children today as I have ever been. The delta variant of COVID is every infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists worst nightmare."

Every children's facility in the state is absolutely full, Kline says. They haven't had an empty ICU bed for weeks at Children's Hospital.

"Half of the children we’re seeing today were perfectly healthy children who were infected with COVID," Kline says. "We know the children we're seeing in the hospital are just the tip of the iceberg."

Kline says that the moral thing for adults to do is get vaccinated. Even if you're not worried about your own health, think about the children who could suffer or die from COVID because of your decision. Remember: kids under 12 can't get vaccinated at this point.

Dr. Phyllis Mason, chief medical officer at Natchitoches Regional Medical Center says her staff is "tired and demoralized." Says they don't have the capacity to take care of COVID patients as well as serious patients with heart attacks, strokes, ect.

Mason says patients are waiting in her ER for days on end for an inpatient bed, creating a bottleneck that's impacting their ability to provide care for the rest of the non-COVID patients. "This is about you the general public that we can't provide quality care for you."

"Do not be confused: the vaccines work. They may not be perfect, but they work," said Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, system medical director at Ochsner Health. "People don’t need to die of COVID-19 in 2021. It’s not too late to get vaccinated."

Dr. Catherine O'Neal, chief medical officer at Our Lady of the Lake, says that 155/800 beds are COVID-positive. "No one diagnosis should take up a quarter of your hospital."

O'Neal: "These are the darkest days of our pandemic. We are no longer giving adequate care to our patients."

Michele Sutton, CEO of North Oaks Health System in Hammond, says stretchers are lining up in their hallways with EMS drivers waiting to drop off patients. "There's not another facility for them to go to" and there are no beds available there.

.@LouisianaGov: "I’ve heard it said often: Louisiana is the most pro-life state in the nation. I want to believe that. It ought to mean something. In this context, it ought to mean something."