Louisiana coronavirus spending balloons to $573 million; it’s more than doubled in a week

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The amount of money Louisiana has spent responding to the coronavirus has ballooned to $573 million, as the state races to stand up a temporary hospital and other facilities to house patients that have tested positive for the virus.

The figure is more than double from last week, when state government had spent about $247 million.

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Spending on the biggest effort to surge Louisiana's medical capacity--a temporary hospital facility at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans--has grown to $109.5 million, according to Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne. That increase came after Gov. John Bel Edwards moved to double the amount of beds there from 1,000 to 2,000.

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Does $110 million seem a little bit excessive for this:






04/09/20 convention center update:

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As of Wednesday, the Convention Center was housing 37 coronavirus patients

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05/15/20 Convention Center Update:

Looks like another $55 million was added to that price tag:

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Gov. John Bel Edwards’s administration is crafting plans to wind down a $165 million temporary hospital facility at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, but will leave beds in the facility over the next several months as the state moves through a phased reopening that could produce another spike in cases.

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Nice little 50% increase in just over a month.

And this is what was treated at that temporary hospital:

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Only 17 people are currently in the Convention Center, and 190 have been treated there, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

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Spent almost $869k a person


Major temporary coronavirus medical facility in New Orleans to wind down -- but not disappear