New Orleans hospital pushing for COVID-19 testing, shows results in 45 minutes
COVID-19 infections spike in Louisiana; reaction and analysis from Dr. Robert Hart, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Ochsner Health on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
A New Orleans hospital chief emphasized Friday the importance of a quick turnaround time for coronavirus tests in order to contain the outbreak in Louisiana and other parts of the country.
“If we have that rapid turnaround, then we can be confident that we don’t have to quarantine [medical workers] as long before they are able to come back to work to continue to help us fight this coronavirus,” Robert Hart, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Ochsner, told “America’s Newsroom.”
Hart said that testing is helpful for doctors to give patients better guidance and for workers to conserve the use of protective equipment as the amount available is limited.
SCIENTISTS OFFER HOPEFUL NEWS ON COVID-19 VACCINE BASED ON VIRUS' MUTATION RATE
New Orleans is quickly becoming a hotspot for the coronavirus, and the city's recent jam-packed Mardi Gras season could be the reason why, according to medical experts.
More than a million revelers crowded into the city's famed French Quarter and other neighborhoods over several weeks to celebrate the costumed gathering, the culmination of the Carnival celebration. The Mardi Gras season ran from Jan. 6 to Feb. 25, or Fat Tuesday.
In the weeks since, the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the United States, overwhelming hospitals in some cities and prompting lockdowns of several urban areas. The "Big Easy" has reported at least 997 cases.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
Statewide, Louisiana is experiencing the fastest increase in new cases in the world. As of Thursday, the state reported 2,305 cases, including 83 deaths.
“We probably had much more positives early, but certainly the testing availability, the more rapid turnaround is certainly leading to numbers that contribute to that spiked number that you’re seeing,” Hart said.
Fox News Edmund DeMarch contributed to this report.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.