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LDH Official Talks Worst-Case Planning, Port Precautions And More As COVID-19 Spreads

Hannah A Bullock; Azaibi Tamin
/
CDC
Transmission electron microscopic image of an isolate from the first U.S. case of COVID-19, formerly known as 2019-nCoV. The spherical viral particles, colorized blue, contain cross-section through the viral genome, seen as black dots.

Nearly 84,000 people in at least 56 countries have fallen ill as the coronavirus spreads across the world. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case of coronavirus in a person who had no known history of travel to China, raising concerns of potential "community spread" of the disease, which is also known as COVID-19.

While Louisiana officials say the risk of contracting coronavirus remains low, preparations are well underway.

Dr. Joseph Kanter, assistant state health officer and a regional medical director for the Office of Public Health, talks about how the state is preparing for the potential spread of the coronavirus.

Paul Braun was WRKF's Capitol Access reporter, from 2019 through 2023.