4:27
- ABC News
- March 29, 2020
La. health care system could be overwhelmed: Gov.
The La. governor talks about how coronavirus cases are expected to surge there.
4:27
\"We've had orders in for more than 12,000 ventilators, some through the national stockpile and others through private vendors,\" he said. \"Thus far -- over the last several weeks -- we've been able to get only 192.\"
Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.
Health care providers across the country have warned of equipment storages, including critical life support, such as ventilators, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and nurses.
Despite receiving shipments of protective equipment and hospital beds from the federal stockpile, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Sunday emphasized the need for ventilators and said he spoke with the White House Saturday night about the problem.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/edwards-murphy-split-ap-us-rc-200328_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
\"We had a very specific conversation with the White House last night about ventilators. That’s our number one ask. It’s our number one need,\" he told \"This Week\" Co-anchor Martha Raddatz in a separate interview. \"And that’s the one that we are focused most on right now. We have a long way to go on the whole PPE front but we’ve made more progress in other areas than we have right now on ventilators.\"
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tells @martharaddatz \"we're still way short\" on medical supplies, even with shipment from national stockpile.
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 29, 2020
\"The big headline for us are ventilators... that's our number one ask. That's our number one need.\" https://t.co/uByl9xl0lY pic.twitter.com/rEOo9KyZ8t
Globally, more than 30,000 people have died from illness related to the novel coronavirus. More than 124,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the U.S. and more than 2,100 people have died, according to data from the the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Earlier Sunday, Edwards announced the death of April Dunn, a 33-year-old staffer in his office. She died due to complications from new coronavirus.
On conditions in Louisiana, Gov. Edwards tells @MarthaRaddatz: \"We obviously have a spread that is growing faster than we would like to see. We remain on a trajectory to overwhelm our capacity to deliver health care by the end of the first week in April.\" https://t.co/uByl9xl0lY pic.twitter.com/74TiBrY1IX
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 29, 2020
In Louisiana the death toll is already beginning its rise with 137 confirmed, the second highest death count per capita in the United States, the governor said. The state currently has over 3,300 cases, the third-highest case count per capita in the U.S.
Raddatz asked about reports that Mardi Gras -- which was held as scheduled -- may have helped spread coronavirus in the state. Edwards agreed, but pointed to the messages coming from the federal government at the time.
\"There was never any hint from anyone, to me, to the mayor of New Orleans, that there should be any consideration to downsizing or canceling Mardi Gras,\" he said.
\"If you go back, you will see that the federal government was saying things were under control,\" he added. \"And this is some Monday morning quarterbacking going on.\"
Should Mardi Gras have been canceled because of coronavirus concerns? Louisiana Gov. Bel Edwards tells @MarthaRaddatz: \"There was never any hint from anyone... that there should be any consideration to downsizing or canceling Mardi Gras.\" https://t.co/uByl9xl0lY pic.twitter.com/uZFThbFy7r
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 29, 2020
Sunday morning, the president signed a disaster declaration for Connecticut, where there are more than 1,500 cases and 33 deaths. It is under a new travel warning issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with New York, where there are more than 53,000 cases and over 800 deaths, and New Jersey, with its over 11,000 cases and 140 deaths.
Murphy told Raddatz in a separate interview on \"This Week\" that residents from his state were already not traveling much as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
\"A travel warning, we're fine with,\" he said Sunday. \"The fact of the matter is we are all in on flattening that curve, social distancing as aggressive as any states in America.\"
As the White House's 15 days to slow the spread guidelines is set to expire Monday, former homeland security adviser @TomBossert says that Pres. Trump \"has no choice but to extend this national blanket intervention order... we have to stay this course.\" https://t.co/yaBrBa1Xgf pic.twitter.com/O4zQx4i55N
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 29, 2020
Trump raised the idea of an enforceable quarantine for parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut when speaking to reporters earlier Saturday. The region has become a hotspot in the outbreak with at least 30,000 cases confirmed in New York City alone.
The president reversed course in a tweet later that evening, saying that \"a quarantine will not be necessary.\"
ABC News' Kelly Cannon and Erin Doherty contributed to this report.
This report was featured in the Monday, March 30, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.
\"Start Here\" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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