BATON ROUGE, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has tested positive for the coronavirus.
On Tuesday LDEQ Secretary Dr. Chuck Carr Brown announced that he has mild symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19.
Dr. Brown will self-quarantine for the next 10 days while continuing to perform his duties remotely.
Brown said, “From the onset of the epidemic, we have emphasized mask-wearing and social distancing at the agency, but obviously some fatigue with the strict measures has set in. We will rededicate ourselves to making sure we don’t let our guards down for even an instant. Fortunately, I am a candidate for the monoclonal antibodies and have started receiving treatment. I encourage anyone who contracts the virus to immediately talk with their physician about this treatment which can help reduce the severity of symptoms. This is a very serious virus, and we should all follow the mitigation measures that we know work. I expect to be able to meet my work obligations from home and hope for a full and quick recovery for myself and the other Covid-19 positive employees at LDEQ.”
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses.
LDEQ has recorded 58 COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the epidemic of which 32 people have recovered.
Fortunately, there have been no COVID related deaths among LEDQ employees.
The agency is awaiting updates on the recovery of those who tested positive in mid/late December.
LDEQ’s Human Resources Department is tracking COVID-19 cases and conducting contact tracing when an employee reports a positive test.