BATON ROUGE – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have lifted the requirement that all coronavirus tests administered by the Louisiana Department of Health be sent to the CDC for confirmation.
That earlier requirement led to “presumptive positive” cases in Louisiana, which were defined as cases where the LDEH test for coronavirus came back positive, but the CDC had yet to verify that finding.
As of March 15, the LDEH test will be sufficient for a positive diagnosis.
In addition to that procedural testing change, the LDEH has launched a new coronavirus tracking dashboard to help keep the public better informed as the pandemic continues to escalate. The dashboard is updated twice daily, at 9:30 a.m. and again at 5:30 p.m.
“Our commitment is to share as much information with the public as possible and we hope this dashboard is a useful tool,” said Stephen Russo, interim secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. “While this virus has not reached every parish of our state, we believe that it will. It is important that we all take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of this illness. The public is warned to practice social distancing, stay home if you are sick and be sure to wash your hands.”
