Coronavirus update: What you need to know about COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 31, 2020

By STHS Communication Department

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is responding to an outbreak of a respiratory illness called COVID-19 caused by a new coronavirus first detected in Wuhan, China.  At particular risk are the elderly and those with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems.

In an effort to keep the community informed, STHS officials – who are continuously in contact with the Louisiana Office of Public Health and the CDC regarding COVID-19 – have issued the following information for Tuesday (March 31).

As of noon Tuesday, the Louisiana Department of Health had confirmed 5,237 positive or presumed positive cases of COVID-19 in-state and 239 resulting fatalities. That’s up from 4,025 cases and 185 fatalities reported a day earlier.

So far, 3,469 tests have been completed by the state lab and 35,498 reported to LDH by commercial private testing companies.

Of the confirmed in-state cases of COVID-19, 220 were in St. Tammany Parish, including 16 being treated at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington. Twenty-eight cases were also reported in Washington Parish and 25 in Tangipahoa. The majority of in-state cases are in Orleans Parish (1,834 cases) and Jefferson Parish (1,193 cases), according to state-provided figures.

THE STHS OUTLOOK: St. Tammany Health System is prepared for COVID-19 in our communities. The following actions are among those that have been put into place:

• A system-wide protocol has been enacted at each of our facilities for the screening and isolation of any patient suspected of having the disease.
• In keeping with a Louisiana Department of Health order, STHS is prohibiting non-essential visitors to St. Tammany Parish Hospital.
• We are recommending patient video visits and other alternatives for in-person doctor’s appointments.
• For suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases, we are implementing all appropriate isolation and protective measures outlined by the CDC and follow their guidelines for hospital personnel and visitors. Additionally, we will immediately notify the proper parties, including the Louisiana State Epidemiologist, the Office of Public Health and the CDC.

• We continue to gather the latest information from the CDC, OPH and World Health Organization. We will update our processes as directed by the CDC and OPH.

THE NATIONAL OUTLOOK: As of Tuesday (March 31), the CDC was reporting 163,539 confirmed positive and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the United States since Jan. 21, including 2,860 deaths, in 55 U.S. jurisdictions (all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands). That’s up from 140,940 confirmed cases and 2,405 deaths reported a day earlier.

THE GLOBAL OUTLOOK: As of 3 a.m. Monday (March 30), World Health Organization figures showed 693,282 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported globally resulting in 33,106 deaths. That’s up from 634,835 cases and 29,891 deaths reported a day earlier.

AT YOUR HOME: St. Tammany Heath System infection prevention officials recommend the following preventative steps:

• In keeping with orders from Gov. John Bel Edwards, all Louisiana residents should remain at home except for essential activities, including work, grocery shopping or picking up take-out orders from restaurants. If it’s necessary to go out in public, practice social distancing by staying at least 6 feet from other people.   
• Wash your hands frequently with soap, water and friction. If soap is unavailable, use hand sanitizer.
• Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or cough or sneeze into your upper arm, not your hands.
• Clean frequently touched surfaces with 1:10 bleach product or an alcohol-based cleanser containing more than 60 percent alcohol.
• Those 65 and older who have a fever of 99.6 or higher, and those under 65 with a temperature of 100.4 or higher, should stay home. Call your doctor if symptoms worsen.

Additional information can be found at stph.org/COVID-19; by calling the state’s 211 health information line; or by calling the St. Tammany Health System’s pre-recorded COVID-19 information line at (985) 773-1699, which is updated with new information as warranted.

Monitor stph.org/COVID-19 for coronavirus updates.