Five Louisiana patients test negative for coronavirus as state expands testing criteria

A week after gaining the capacity to test for the novel coronavirus, Louisiana had tested five patients for the virus as of Friday, all with negative results.

And officials took steps to expand the number of people being tested, broadening the criteria for who is eligible for one of the limited number of tests here after the federal government told doctors they can use their discretion for when a patient should be screened for the virus.

Louisiana still had no confirmed cases Friday, as the virus continued spreading across the world, infecting more than 100,000 globally, including more than 250 in the U.S. While most people infected with the virus experience mild symptoms, the virus had killed at least 15 in the U.S. as of Friday, mostly in Washington.

State government agencies, schools and businesses across Louisiana have created contingency plans and other preparations for what officials say is the inevitable spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19.

"We're really trying to find the first COVID case in the state," said Dr. Alexander Billioux, assistant secretary for the state's Office of Public Health, which runs the only lab capable of testing for the virus.

The state-run Baton Rouge lab that obtained test kits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control last Friday has steadily received calls from providers about the coronavirus, Billioux said. Doctors call an infectious disease hotline and state staffers walk them through whether their patient should be tested under the new criteria put in place Thursday.

The lab currently has the capacity to test between 150 and 650 patients, Billioux said. The number is a range because the testing "plates" can hold up to 19 samples, but if tests need to be run for severely ill patients, they might not fill all 19 before running the test. If the state has a few cases in a day and can wait to run them as a batch, the lab will have more capacity. The state roughly doubled its capacity earlier this week when it received a new batch of test kits from the CDC.

The new criteria broadens who is eligible for a test from the previous guidance issued by the federal government. Now, patients who have a fever and respiratory illness symptoms, along with a history of travel from places like China, Italy, South Korea, Iran and Seattle, Washington are eligible, even if they aren't hospitalized. Plus, people in the hospital with severe respiratory illness and no other explanation, like the flu, can now be tested.

Still, Louisiana has a limited number of test kits, as the federal government has weathered scrutiny for a slow and troubled rollout. The first batch of kits sent to state labs was faulty, and the feds have been unable to meet their goals for the numbers of test kits in labs.

Billioux said Louisiana is in a "good place" with the number of tests, and he pointed out the state does not have a known community spread of the virus in places like Washington, which has a lab that can run 1,000 samples a day, according to The New York Times.

But he also said Louisiana is "definitely not shying away from advocating for more testing kits."

"As we broaden who should be tested and who is getting tested ... we do expect testing will continue to expand," Billioux said. "We're very focused on making sure people are getting tested for the right reasons."

Six other states gained the ability to test for the virus at the same time as Louisiana. According to news reports, testing capacity varied across the U.S. Colorado had tested 93 patients as of Thursday, according to the Colorado Sun. Mississippi had tested fewer than 10 as of Wednesday, the Jackson Clarion Ledger reported. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson tweeted Thursday "nearly 17" people" have been tested.

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus funding bill that passed through Congress swiftly with bipartisan support. States like California and Washington have started requiring insurers to cover the costs of the tests.

Currently, Louisiana's state lab provides the tests for free, Billioux said. But the lab does not cover the costs of hospital visits. And the federal government is expected to allow commercial labs to begin testing for the virus in the future, which could lead to costs for patients. It's not clear if or when commercial labs will open in Louisiana.

John Tobler, a spokesman for Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, said the agency has not yet issued any directives to insurers, but that Donelon is set to attend a meeting of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners later this month in Phoenix, where they will have a meeting solely about the issue.

State lawmakers have begun paying attention to the virus also. The Legislature gavels into its annual session Monday, and on Wednesday the House Select Committee on Homeland Security and House Health and Welfare Committee will hold a joint hearing on coronavirus, where state health officials will provide updates.

House Health and Welfare Committee Chairman Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall, said members have asked about the issue in recent days, prompting the hearing.

House Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue, R-Houma, said there have not yet been discussions about how much money the state is spending to respond to the virus, and no one had requested additional funding yet. Some other states have tallied up millions in additional costs responding to the virus.

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, a Republican who spoke on an election security panel Thursday evening at LSU, said his staff has begun discussing how to hold an election in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic.

"Are people going to be afraid to go to the polls?" he said. "How do we get participation? How do we protect our commissioners? Are we going to have commissioners if there is an epidemic? There is so much that goes into conducting an election and everything around an election and inside the process and procedures."

___

(c)2020 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.

Visit The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. at www.theadvocate.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.