NEW ORLEANS — Four members of a New Orleans family who died within a few days of each other in late March had tested positive for Coronavirus, according to Jason Melancon, Director of Public Information at the New Orleans Coroner's Office.
This includes the matriarch of the Franklin family, 86-year-old Antoniette Franklin, a lifetime New Orleanian who died March 23.
Her sons, Herman Franklin Jr, 71, Timothy Franklin, 61, and Anthony Franklin Sr., 58, all died between March 20 and March 30, according to Melancon.
The announcement of the death of the Franklin family comes at the same time Gov. John Bel Edwards is reporting new numbers on the amount of COVID-19 cases among African Americans in Louisiana. Edwards said Tuesday that Africam Americans account for more than 70% of coronavirus deaths in Louisiana while only representing about 32% of the state's population.
“We are looking into this further and trying to figure out everything we can do about that,” Edwards said. “For example, what is the main role of comorbidities (underlying health issues) within these deaths? We have a lot more questions than we have answers right now.”
There was a huge outpouring of sadness on social media regarding the death of the Franklin family, friends describing the family as generous and kind.
It’s unclear if the family was tested before or after they died. Also unclear is whether any of them had any underlying health issues.
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