LAFAYETTE, La. — On Monday, May 4, Lafayette Consolidated Government held a press briefing on the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency.
Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory said that according to preliminary estimates provided to him by the Louisiana Department of Health, Region 4 was showing a 59% recovery rate for those who contracted and recovered from COVID-19.
According to LDH, it is estimated that 65% of COVID-19 cases have recovered statewide.
He said that this metric has been a challenging one as it requires a lot of tracking and lacks enough of that data especially for modeling.
Guillory said that the estimate was consistent with the first positive case reported in the state on March 9, and the first case reported in Region 4 nine days after.
He said that this means there are nearly 200 active cases in Lafayette Parish, not counting people who are asymptomatic.
According to Guillory, anywhere from 25-50% of those who have COVID-19 are asymptomatic or are pre-symptomatic, or do not know that they are contagious.
Guillory said LDH provided some troubling statistics for nursing home fatalities for Region 4.
According to LDH, about 33% of COVID-19 fatalities are from residents in nursing homes statewide. In Region 4, that number is 55% of nursing home fatalities.
Guillory said that as a result of these numbers, LDH is stepping up its protocols for PPE, testing and regular site visits to all facilities, and not just those with case clusters.
"Since the beginning, this virus has proven particularly deadly to the elderly, and we are seeing this confirmed here in Acadiana," said Guillory. "And we are very fortunate that nursing homes in Lafayette Parish have largely been spared."
Guillory said LCG had received no complaints about businesses this past weekend following the slightly loosened restrictions after Gov. John Bel Edwards extended Stay At Home Order went into effect on Friday, May 1.
He said that he does not intend to add further restrictions in Lafayette Parish and is actively trying to reopen the economy.
Guilloy said he estimates that about 85-90% of businesses in Lafayette Parish are open or are in the process of reopening.
He said that his next steps as the state moves closer to May 15 will be to focus on the remaining 10-15% of businesses, including restaurants and hair salons, and helping them prepare to reopen safely when the time comes.
Guillory also urged businesses and citizens alike to follow social distancing measures, exercise caution and use common sense as much as possible when interacting with each other.
"We are the key to a decisive victory over COVID-19," said Guillory.
On Monday, the Louisiana Department of Health was reporting 468 cases of the coronavirus in Lafayette Parish with 20 deaths.
Across the state, there were 29,673 cases of the coronavirus and 1,991 deaths reported on May 4.
The number of "presumed recovered" coronavirus patients rose in the state to 20,316 in Monday's update.
LDH updates their numbers each day at noon.
To see the latest from LDH and a breakdown of the numbers by parish, click here.
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