State Health Officer Fears Another Spike

State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry warned a Legislative committee there will be another spike in COVID cases during flu season, and the spike will rival the numbers seen in the spring. Guidry said his prediction is based on observations from the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 where a spring wave subsided only to be replaced by a much deadlier late fall outbreak. Committee members questioned Guidry about the small number of totals deaths that were solely attributed to COVID. Guidry says that number is misleading because of the nature of COVID, which kills people with manageable illnesses. Guidry expressed concerns about efforts to further relax public health restrictions. He said numbers may be low now, but they’re only low because of the ongoing mitigation measures. Guidry said the current success in limiting outbreaks in schools is unlikely to last long. He expects as the semester continues students will slack off on prevention measures and the virus will spread.