NEW ORLEANS — Southeast Louisiana leaders are pleading with residents to avoid emergency rooms unless they are severely sick, as ERs have increasingly become slammed with people seeking to be tested for COVID-19.
“We understand that right now, COVID tests are hard to find, but let’s keep the emergency rooms available to those who feel severely sick or have an immediate emergency,” a statement from the New Orleans Health Department said on Monday.
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng echoed that statement, saying local hospitals were seeing an influx of people seeking testing, “putting a tremendous strain on healthcare workers and resources.”
Health leaders say if you have recently come into contact with someone who has COVID-19 and you have little to no symptoms, you should keep isolated from others to prevent the spread of the virus until you can find an open testing site or an available doctor.
The NOHD joined with the New Orleans Public Library to give away free N95 masks on Wednesday from noon to 6 p.m. or while supplies last. Those masks will be available at six library locations: (Only two masks per person).
- Main Library, 219 Loyola Avenue
- Algiers Regional Library, 3014 Holiday Drive
- East New Orleans Regional Library, 5641 Read Boulevard
- Milton H. Latter Memorial Library, 5120 St. Charles Avenue
- Robert E. Smith Library, 6301 Canal Boulevard
- Norman Mayer Library, 3001 Gentilly Boulevard
Several community COVID-19 testing centers are available in Orleans Parish. For a full list of those testing centers, click here to visit ready.nola.gov.
Sheng said that drive-thru testing will be available in Jefferson Parish through New Year's Day at the following locations:
- Alario Center from 8am-4pm
- Johnny Bright from 9am-4pm
- Bonnabel Boat Launch from 9am-2pm
For more information about testing and vaccinations in Jefferson Parish, visit covid.jeffparish.net.
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