Louisiana hospitals, overwhelmed with Covid patients, sending ambulances to Texas, state tries to encourage more vaccinations

Louisiana hospitals, overwhelmed with Covid patients, sending ambulances to Texas State’s public health efforts hobbled by low vaccination rates and crowded housing following last year’s hurricane season Sara Sneath in New Orleans the Guardian

....

Louisiana now has the second highest rate of new infections in the nation, after Florida. And its low rate of vaccination means that more of the coronavirus cases are requiring hospitalisation. About 90% of current coronavirus patients in Louisiana hospitals are not fully vaccinated, according to the state’s department of health. As the Delta variant spreads rapidly through unvaccinated communities, Covid-positive patients are overwhelming Louisiana’s healthcare system.

The state has tried to counter misinformation about the vaccine in an attempt to curb new infections. Regional health officials have attended city council meetings and school board meetings to respond to false claims. The Louisiana department of health has also recruited people like Duplantis who may be more trusted in their communities than the department or the government in general, to help debunk misinformation, said an LDH spokesperson, Kevin Litten. ...

While fear of the Delta variant has led to some increase in vaccinations in the state, Louisiana’s healthcare system is straining to keep up with the rate of new infections. Hospitals in south-west Louisiana have diverted ambulances to Texas to find a facility with the capacity to take care of patients. South-west Louisiana, which was devastated by Hurricane Laura last year, has the lowest vaccination rate in the state. ...