Dr. Alex Billioux, the tall, calm-voiced internist who explained so clearly so many of the confusing details of COVID-19, has left his post at the Louisiana Department of Health.
Friday was his last day as assistant secretary of the LDH Office of Public Health.
Our media partners at The Advocate conducted an exit interview with the physician. Among the thoughts he shared was the question of whether the Louisiana Department of Health would have had the public and political support to take such drastic measures before the state confirmed any infections or experienced any deaths. Now that Louisiana has gone through two major coronavirus waves, one in spring, another in the summer, piling up 166,000 confirmed cases and 5,300 deaths, Billioux is again worried about the future, the newspaper reports.
Since this spring, Billioux has led Louisiana’s coronavirus response, overseeing the state’s strategy and also serving as its public face in almost-daily appearances at news conferences and on television screens, the paper reports. After two years in his job and eight grueling months at the helm of a public health crisis with no end in sight, he’s leaving to spend more time with his family, The Advocate reports.
To read The Advocate's full interview with Billioux, click here.
