2450 patients are inpatient in the US state of Louisiana because of Covid 19 disease. Too many to evacuate. Despite the dangers of Hurricane “Ida”.
New Orleans – The coastal hospitals in Louisiana cannot be evacuated despite the approaching dangerous Hurricane “Ida” because there are too many corona patients in the US state. So stated Governor John Bel Edwards.
Currently, 2,450 patients are being treated in the state with 4.6 million inhabitants for Covid-19 disease, he told CNN on Saturday. There is no longer any capacity in Louisiana and the neighboring states to accept additional patients. “Evacuating hospitals will therefore not be possible,” he said.
Louisiana and the neighboring states are in the midst of a dramatic corona wave. Edwards said prolonged blackouts from the hurricane were a major threat to medical facilities, despite generators. The state has already mobilized 10,000 workers to restore the power supply, and another 20,000 from other parts of the country could still be requested. “We’re going to have to get the power back as soon as possible, that’s one of my biggest worries,” said Edwards.
The governor also mobilized the state’s National Guard. As of Sunday, around 5,000 soldiers should be deployed.
“Ida” is said to continue to gain strength rapidly over the Gulf of Mexico and hit land on Sunday afternoon (local time) in Louisiana as an “extremely dangerous large hurricane”, as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) explains. Accordingly, severe damage, flooding and long-lasting power outages are to be expected. dpa
