Patterson council hears about efforts to fight COVID

PATTERSON — The City Council heard Tuesday about the war on COVID-19 on two fronts: efforts to promote testing and vaccination, and work to overcome the isolation imposed on senior citizens by the pandemic.
Dr. Gary Wiltz and Leroy Willis of the Teche Action Clinic praised Patterson residents for their participation in testing and donating convalescent plasma. Council on Aging Director Beverly Domengeaux talked about delivering meals to senior citizens during the pandemic.
Wiltz, the Teche Action Clinic CEO, said Patterson people came forward for more tests during Teche’s recent testing push than at other sites.
Just as important, 20 people who had developed antibodies were set to donate blood Wednesday.
“That’s the most valuable blood you can have because it can save a life,” Wiltz said.
“If they had antibodies, they said, ‘If it’ll help someone and save a life, I’ll do it.’”
Teche received its first supply of 300 doses of the new Moderna vaccine Tuesday. Wiltz said he got the first of his two shots Tuesday without the injection site discomfort or other side effects being reported elsewhere.
The effort to vaccinate front-line health care workers in Louisiana and across the country is going more slowly than expected. State public health officials are reporting delays in their ability to deliver vaccinations. So far, the Louisiana Office of Public Health is reporting that more than 56,000 have received the first of the two required inoculations.
“I could use some other adjectives,” Wiltz told the council, “but I’ll just say ‘challenge.’”
Federal officials have put the blame on for the slow rollout on state efforts overwhelmed by the need to deliver millions of injections. State officials around the country have blamed a lack of coordination at the federal level.
Wiltz comes down on the side of the states.
“The fault is not with the state,” Wiltz said. “It’s with the [Centers for Disease Control].”
The vaccine is safe, Wiltz said, based on his examination of drug trial results. And the COVID-19 vaccines’ efficacy rates in excess of 95% are better than the effectiveness of traditional flu vaccines.
“The only way we can get out of this is vaccination,” Wiltz said.
The Council on Aging’s Domengeaux said that in the council’s fiscal year up until March, meal deliveries were going well. Six hundred meals were served at centers, 1,400 meals were delivered to homes, and nine homemaker visits were conducted.
Then came the governor’s emergency declaration in March, which changed the way the council operated. Volunteers and drivers had to adapt to the use of personal protective equipment and learn to deliver meals in a way that would avoid the spread of COVID.
Since mid-March, the council has provided 1,146 meals in congregant settings with special permission. Another 2,700 meals were delivered to homes.
With support from the Felterman Foundation, the council also provided “chef meals,” or items that seniors can safely prepare on the weekends, when the council doesn’t deliver meals.
“I can tell you they love peanut butter crackers …,” Domengeaux said. “Mainly we just let them know we care”
Local governments, including the Patterson council, support the council financially, and Domengeaux makes period reports on council activities.
Also Tuesday:
—The council accepted a bid from Del-Con LLC for the next phase of Morey Park improvements.
The next step consists mostly of site preparation for the third phase, which will put a pavilion and public restrooms in the park.
Del-Con submitted the only bid for the site preparation. The bid was for about $71,000, lower than the expected cost of nearly $90.000.
—The council agreed to renew the contract of Housing Director Susan Mendoza for two years. The Housing Authority’s board had recommended a five-year renewal, but Grogan recommended against extending the contract beyond the end of the current mayor and council term as a matter of policy. The term has two more years to run.
—Police Chief Garrett Grogan introduced newly hired Officer Blake Vining.
Vining, who has 10 years of law enforcement experience, started work Dec. 17.