BATON ROUGE – The number of coronavirus cases in Louisiana has jumped to 9,150 according to the Louisiana Department of Health. LDH also confirmed that there have now been 310 coronavirus related fatalities in the state.
“While extremely upsetting, this increase in COVID-19 cases appears to be less a sign of new exponential growth and more a sign of a logjam from commercial labs,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “I am pleased to see a ramp up in testing across the state. We need this energy and commitment to continue. It’s important to understand that what’s happening in Louisiana with the increased testing is also happening around the country. That said, as more and more commercial labs come online our different data systems must learn to talk to one another. I have said time and again – COVID-19 is a statewide problem and testing is a vital step towards understanding the scale of this problem. We believe COVID-19 is spreading in every parish in Louisiana.”
On Thursday, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a new text alert system that will provide timely COVID-19 updates and other critical guidance directly from the governor’s office to Louisiana residents.
Louisianans can opt-in to the new system today by texting ‘LACOVID’ to 67283.
“I encourage all Louisianans to sign-up for the new text alert system and stay up to date with the latest COVID-19 information. We are all in this together, and having the most recent information is critical in stopping the spread of COVID-19 throughout Louisiana,” Gov. Edwards said. “We have not yet begun to flatten the curve in Louisiana, and we need the people of our great state to be good neighbors, stay at home and socially distance themselves now more than ever.”
Residents who have opted in for updates will also receive instructions to sign up for Smart911, a free service that allows individuals and families to provide key context to first responders.
Through the Smart911 app or smart911.com, residents can create a Safety Profile that contains critical information including pre-existing conditions and quarantine status.
As Louisiana grapples with the COVID-19 outbreak and a surge in 9-1-1 calls, the information in these Safety Profiles allows us to proactively identify and communicate with those at greatest risk while also providing first responders the context and foresight they need to protect themselves from exposure and arrive on the scene fully informed.