Baton Rouge, La. (March 25, 2020) — The Louisiana Department of Health has updated its website to reflect the latest number of positives and will continue to update its website at noon each day.
Case count
As of noon on March 25, the Department reported 407 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,795.
Hospitalization
Yesterday, 271 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized. Of those, 94 patients required ventilation.
Currently, 491 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized. Of those, 163 patients require ventilation.
Nursing homes
The Department of Health has identified COVID-19 clusters in six nursing homes in the state. A cluster is identified as two or more cases that appear to be connected. With the involvement of hospitals and multiple providers and the growth in cases of nursing home residents, the Department of Health will no longer be reporting where positive cases have been identified. The Department continues to work with nursing homes to minimize the spread of the illness and protect residents and staff.
Deaths
The Department now reports a total of 65 deaths.
Reporting
Following the model of the CDC and many other states, the Department has moved to once daily reporting on the number of positive COVID-19 cases and deaths. The Department is now reporting positive cases and completed tests from the state lab and commercial labs. The Department’s dashboard was updated today at 12 p.m. The next update will be tomorrow at noon and will daily updates will follow at noon seven days a week.
Guidance for providers
All guidance memos issued can be found on the Department of Health website: http://www.ldh.la.gov/coronavirus.
About the Louisiana Department of Health
The Louisiana Department of Health strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state residents. The Louisiana Department of Health includes the Office of Public Health, Office of Aging & Adult Services, Office of Behavioral Health, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, and Healthy Louisiana (Medicaid). To learn more, visit www.ldh.la.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our blog.
I have a family member who works in the healthcare field, I think the reason you are not getting
any info other than the parish is be cause of the Federal HEPA regulations, they cannot release that info
as much as all of us would like to know that kind of info. IF, I am wrong someone who knows HEPA
please correct me.
It’s HIPAA and you are right patient information is protect. The penalties for disclosing this information except in certain circumstances can be very serious.
Do you mean HIPPA? Yes, I know about those laws. But I thought that as long as the things that identify a person, like name, address/phone number, place of employment, etc. are kept confidential, then information about how many people have tested positive and where they are could be made public. There’s a list of the state’s parishes with the number of cases in each in the website.
Unfortunately, there is a stigma developing against people who have it. And when the first case in Natchitoches Parish was discovered, people were falling all over themselves to find out who it was, and spreading misinformation and gossip. So it’s good that the HIPPA laws are there.
NPJ, Is there a website where we can find out where people who have tested positive are? For example your story states there are 6 clusters in nursing homes in the state. Where are they? Dozens of healthcare workers go in and out of nursing homes every week. Yes, they take precautions to prevent exposure and transference, but nothing is 100%
It would help us to know where we’re more likely to be exposed to someone who’s been infected. If there are a lot of cases in my city or parish, it would affect my decision to go out for groceries and which hospital ER I go to if I get injured or sick.