So Louisiana is one of the states featured in the current pandemic panic. A recent article states the following about expected deaths in Louisiana due to COVID-19:
New Orleans Area Has Worst Coronavirus Death Rate in U.S.
He said modeling suggests about 1,834 people in Louisiana could ultimately die, based on White House projections that the U.S. could see 100,000 to 240,000 deaths.
www.wsj.com/articles/new-orleans-area-has-worst-coronavirus-death-rate-in-u-s-11586008800
So while no one likes to read about death, it is inevitable that we will all face it sooner or later. Seeing this number, 1834, as the expected death toll for the state of Louisiana was quite shocking to me. It seems extremely low considering that Louisiana has a population of approximately 4.6 million
www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/LA/PST045219#PST045219).
So I wondered how many people die of the flu in Louisiana every flu season. I’m still looking for those numbers, but in the meantime I found this article dated January 5, 2020:
Unusual flu season strikes in Louisiana; second peak to come
Data shows Louisiana is one of the nation’s top 34 states with high flu activity.
There’s no one reason to pinpoint for those high numbers. Germs travel fast especially when sick people are in the same space.
“It could be travel, you know. You go to the airport, you get on the plane, you go on vacation, you go to Disney World, you get exposed to people all over the world and the flu that’s currently hitting other parts of the world [and] all of a sudden [it] gets brought back home,” said Dr. Flechas.
If you start noticing symptoms like high fever, headaches, and severe body aches with a dry cough it’s time to see a doctor.
“If you’re having chest pain, if you’re having any respiratory distress then absolutely go,” said Dr. Flechas. “Because you never know, we might tell you it’s just the flu, and you will need bed rest and fluids. Or we may say, ‘Wow you’ve got a secondary infection. There’s some bronchitis, some pneumonia.’ So I always would rather be safe and have you seen.”
www.wafb.com/2020/01/06/unusual-flu-season-strikes-louisiana-second-peak-come/
Just what in the world is going on here? This pandemic paranoia is not adding up.
Another article about the bad flu season in Louisiana:
Louisiana sees highest level of flu cases in the U.S. as flu season kicks off
“To put this in perspective the past two years were both bad flu seasons—and at this point in the year—the average in Louisiana was between 2 or 3 percent,” Kanter said. “Right now, every other state is low or minimal (flu activity). That’s pretty stark.”
The 2018-2019 flu season, which ended in May, is the longest one on record since the CDC started tracking the flu 20 years ago. Last year in Louisiana, there were more than 14,000 hospitalizations and 1,400 deaths from flu-related illness.
While it is still to early to know why the 2019-2020 flu season began so early and is affecting Louisiana at higher rates than the rest of the country, Kanter noted that Louisiana has had one of the lowest flu vaccination rates in the country.
www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/10/25/louisiana-flu-symptoms-2019-shot/4090241002/
So more than 14,000 hospitalized in Louisiana from the flu during the 2018-2019 season. Currently, Louisiana is reporting the following number of positive COVID-19 patients hospitalized:
Coronavirus-related hospitalization
As of April 3, 10,297 cases of coronavirus were reported in Louisiana. Of those cases, 1,639 people are currently in hospitals and 507 of them are on ventilators.
www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_7cb2af1c-6414-11ea-b729-93612370dd94.html
So why the extreme measures enacted in Louisiana? This does not make sense.
Are they pulling a white helmet operation on us?
Doctors Say Mardi Gras Was a ‘Perfect Incubator’ for Coronavirus as New Orleans Sees Surge in Cases
people.com/health/mardi-gras-perfect-incubator-coronavirus-new-orleans-800-cases/
Another thing that doesn’t add up for me. Mardi Gras officially ended on February 25th. Anyone who has looked at pictures, videos, or attended any festivities during Mardi Gras knows that it would be the perfect breeding ground for a virus. We are over a month from the end of it though. Why aren’t there more cases if this virus is so contagious and so deadly?
h/t Daniel Higdon