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LAPLACE — As of the Friday update from the Louisiana Department of Health, there have been 507 reported cases of COVID-19 and 37 deaths in St. John the Baptist Parish.

On Thursday, there were 477 recorded cases and 35 deaths in St. John Parish.

As of Thursday at noon, St. Charles Parish has 376 reported cases and 23 deaths, while St. James has 194 reported cases and nine deaths.

Statewide, there are 19,253 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 63 parishes. This marks an increase of 970 cases since yesterday’s report.

One Louisiana parish has not reported cases, though Governor John Bel Edwards said he is certain the virus has spread in all 64 parishes. There have been 755 deaths, up 53 from Thursday. The first death in the state was reported on March 14.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, there are 2,054 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the state. Of these patients, 479 are on ventilators.

This data is updated daily at noon.

Edwards has extended his Stay at Home order for Louisiana residents through April 30. To read the full order, visit https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/Proclamations/2020/JBE-33-2020.pdf.

• In honor of all who have lost their lives to the coronavirus, Parish President Hotard has ordered all flags in St. John the Baptist Parish to fly at half-staff until further notice.

Testing

COVID-19 testing will be offered on the West Bank of St. John Parish from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, and from 8 a.m. to noon Friday, April 17. The testing location is the Teche Action Clinic at 159 East Third Street in Edgard (Phone number: 985-497-8726).

Testing is available for residents experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. Appointments are not necessary, and insurance is not required. Please practice social distancing inside the walk-in clinic.

Drive-thru COVID-19 testing is offered three days a week on the East Bank of St. John Parish, Tuesday through Thursday.

Drive-thru testing is offered to St. John Parish residents who are symptomatic from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., or until the day’s allotted tests have been administered, at the Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes at 1900 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace.

Testing is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To receive drive-thru testing, residents must be 18 years or older and experience symptoms associated with COVID-19, such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. Patients will need to provide a valid state ID or driver’s license to prove they live in St. John Parish.

Residents should enter the drive-thru testing location through the rear entrance of the Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes parking lot, and patients must remain in their vehicles for testing. An Ochsner provider will contact the patient with the results once they become available.

While test kits are limited for drive-thru testing, Ochsner will continue to offer testing at Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes with a physician’s order from a patient’s primary care provider or in the freestanding emergency department.

St. John residents who have received a physician’s order for COVID-19 testing will have a scheduled appointment at the Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes location between 1 and 4 p.m. Patients must provide a driver’s license or an ID to prove residency in St. John Parish.

The frequency of testing will be evaluated on a week-by-week basis based on community need, according to Parish President Jaclyn Hotard.

Patients and caregivers are reminded to follow the steps below should they have symptoms or concerns about COVID-19 before going to an emergency department, clinic or drive-thru testing site:

• Call the free Ochsner information line at 844-888-2772 for 24/7 advice and COVID-19 information
• Established Ochsner patients can schedule a video visit with their provider and send secure messages via MyOchsner
• New patients can see a provider over video through www.ochsner.org/virtualvisits or via the Ochsner Anywhere Care app.