Faceberg link to a story about Louisiana sheriffs whistleblowing on the states Covid #s and the governors attempts to silence them.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3154245137984664&id=137449289664279

SEVERAL AREA OFFICIALS QUESTION

CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS FROM STATE

(The Jena Times - August 5, 2020) Several sheriffs and homeland security directors in the state last week drew statewide attention when they questioned the accuracy of coronavirus numbers being listed by the Louisiana Department of Hospitals (LDH).

LaSalle Parish Sheriff Scott Franklin, who also serves as Homeland Security Director for the parish, is one of the sheriffs who has disagreed with state numbers since the state first started publishing COVID-19 numbers in mid-March.

Franklin appeared on the popular conservative-Louisiana talk radio show Moon Griffon twice last week, first in an appearance to confirm along with other parishes that the numbers the state is taunting are not correct and again to respond to the governor’s Thursday press conference where he accused the several sheriffs of putting out false information.

“We have a governor and administration in Baton Rouge that are not being honest with the numbers and I have a responsibility to my parish to let them know the truth,” Franklin said. “I don’t have a dog in this hunt – I’m not running for any state or national political office and after 12 years of public service I’m not trying to get a name for myself. I simply came to the point where I was tired of the lies being told from the governor’s administration and wanted to let my citizens know what was really going on.”

The controversy over inaccurate numbers began months ago when Franklin began to see inconsistences between the number the LDH were putting on their daily COVID-19 Dashboard and the number of actual cases he was receiving from LDH in his office each day.

“They would show us with one number but our actual number would be much lower when we took off the many duplicate names, inmates, and those that don’t even live in LaSalle Parish,” he said. “I immediately began calling LDH and letting them know but it fell on deaf ears.”

About three weeks ago, Red River Parish, DeSoto Parish, and Caldwell Parish also came out verifying what Franklin had long been reporting and noting the same thing was occurring in their parishes.

Although the information made its way across select social media platforms, it wasn’t until conservative talk show host Moon Griffon entered the picture that momentum began to really swing and the public and governor’s office began to take notice.

Last Tuesday, DeSoto Parish Sheriff Jayson Richardson appeared on Griffon’s show with Franklin on Wednesday morning and then Franklin and Ouachita Parish Homeland Security Director Neil Brown were on the show on Friday.

Griffon says he has personally spoken with at least nine different sheriffs or homeland security directors and they all are reporting a smaller number of COVID-19 cases for their parishes than what the state is reporting. The lower numbers are mostly due to the state counting duplicate positive tests from the same individuals as separate positive tests.

All of the parishes that have come out publicly have noted some individuals appear on their list with two, three, four, and even five positive tests results that are all counted on the state’s dashboard as individual test results….

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All of the parishes that have come out publicly have noted some individuals appear on their list with two, three, four, and even five positive tests results that are all counted on the state’s dashboard as individual test results.

According to Griffon, Red River is saying the state is reporting a 40% increase of actual case numbers for their parish; DeSoto 40%; LaSalle 47%; and Caldwell 48%.

On Friday, Ouachita Parish’s Brown said that he thinks his list contains at least 15% higher numbers in favor of the state.

“They don’t want anybody to contradict their numbers,” Brown said on the show. “I’ve told them, you show me a list that matches that dashboard and I will immediately make a 180 degree turn. I will change from one of your largest critics to one of your staunchest supporters.”

He contends his pleas for the state to correct their figures also fell on deaf ears and in fact the state will no longer let him talk on conference calls.

Brown said the state says he has 4,304 people infected with COVID-19 as of last Friday but when he removes all the duplicate names that number falls drastically.

“What we’d like to see is the actual number of positive cases right now,” he said. “Subtract from that 4,304 number those that I see are duplicates. Subtract those that have passed away. Subtract those that are well over 21 days old. That would put us down to somewhere around 1,000-1,200 people. That’s an accurate number.”

GOVERNOR TAKES ACTION

In response to the many parishes coming out and publicly questioning the actual case numbers in their areas, Governor Edwards, through the LDH, sent out a new document on Thursday that required all sheriffs and homeland security directors to sign before they would receive any future updates or lists showing the people who are infected with the virus.

When asked about the document at the governor’s press conference Thursday afternoon, Edwards deferred the question to LDH’s Medical Director Dr. Jimmy Guidry.

“Well, you have folks who are saying we have information that is not matching up with theirs,” Guidry said last Thursday. “They’re saying their data is not matching up with the states. Well, the folks at the local level, they are getting their results from people reporting, they’re getting their results from different resources; we’re getting ours from lab reports."

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“They’re getting their results from local hospitals, their local medical provider, and they’re saying it’s not matching up,” he continued. “Well, if it’s not matching up its because there are different data sets coming from different resources.”

Franklin told Griffon on Friday morning following the press conference that he watched the press conference live as he knew there would be a question about the new “gag order” that LDH has issued. He said watching the doctor stand up on national television and lie made his blood pressure go up.

The sheriff said he does not get any numbers from any other agency, hospital, or organization and all of those numbers and names come from LDH.

“We don’t call around and ask the hospitals who tested positive and nobody is calling us with that information,” he continued. “All of our information comes from the state and Dr. Guidry knows that. This was nothing but a cover up attempt by Gov. Edwards to silence those of us who are out here telling the truth. It just doesn’t fit his agenda – whatever that may be.”

Franklin said he would be glad to sit down with Dr. Guidry at the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office or he would even drive down to Baton Rouge to go over the “list that he sent me from his office” to allow the sheriff to show him all the duplicates that are still on the list.

Another issue the sheriff had with Dr. Guidry’s comments was when he accused some, which he took as referring to him and others who have spoken out, of violating HIPPA laws.

“We have been getting these lists every day since they started putting them out back in March – why now, all of the sudden, do I have to sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep getting the list?” Franklin said. “I have not violated HIPPA and I have never given out one single name and I have not shown my list to anyone.”

The LaSalle sheriff said after thinking about it he has decided to not sign the document, which means he will no longer be allowed to receive the daily state updates.

“I don’t trust what they are putting on the list so what’s the point of me even wasting my time looking at it,” he said. “They have proven to me that they are dishonest. They have proven to me that they are going to get up on national TV at their press conference and basically call us liars so I’m done with them.”

DO NUMBERS REALLY MATTER?

Franklin said he has been asked by some LaSalle residents why he is taking such a firm stand on accurate COVID numbers?

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Franklin said he has been asked by some LaSalle residents why he is taking such a firm stand on accurate COVID numbers?

“First of all, it is my duty to provide the people of LaSalle Parish with honest leadership,” he said. “By allowing these false numbers to be put out there is deceitful to the public and to the oath that I swore to uphold.”

“Secondly, if the true, actual number of active positive cases in LaSalle Parish was acknowledged by the state we, LaSalle Parish, would no longer be subject to many of the governor’s mandates – such as wearing masks,” he said. “If the true numbers were shown statewide, it would have the same affect. We would be in Phase 3 tomorrow or possibly opened back up to normal life because the actual number wouldn’t be anywhere close to the over 100,000 cases the state currently shows as infected.”

The sheriff said higher COVID numbers fit Governor Edwards’ agenda.

“As long as those numbers are high, he can continue with his mandates under the guise of looking out for the health and safety of residents,” he said. “Take away that large number and he is not able to push his agenda effectively.”

“The bottom line is they know their numbers are not accurate but instead of being truthful with the citizens of Louisiana they’d rather shut up the whistle blowers across the state,” Griffon told Franklin last Friday on air.

Franklin said he does believe the virus is real and does know that it is deadly to certain individuals.

“But much has changed since this thing first started back in March,” he said. “We now know there are effective treatment options available that are working and saving lives. Plus, as those in the healthcare profession know, the virus has mutated and is presenting fewer problems with those who do contract it. In other words, it’s less potent now than before and the proven treatment methods are working.”

He points out that hospitalizations are down, deaths continue to go down, and the full-recovery rate continues to rise drastically.

“Instead of continuing to scare Louisiana with these high numbers, why doesn’t the governor act like a real leader and promote these treatment methods that are working?” he said. “Why doesn’t he point out the high recovery rate?”

Franklin said to him, it all points to two issues: money and power.

“No one even knows the amount of money the state is receiving due to this high COVID-19 number,” he said. “Some reports have the state receiving millions of dollars when it’s all over with. That’s all I can think of why the governor and his administration would be a part of deliberately lying to the people of Louisiana. They want the money and they like the power – being able to keep controlling what we can and can’t do.”

He said there are real cases of COVID-19 in LaSalle Parish and at certain times, there are spikes, such as recent multiple positives among family members, churches, and even healthcare personnel. But, we have people dying from other diseases such as heart, cancer, etc., faster than from Covid-19.

“But ask anyone in any of the LaSalle healthcare facilities and they will tell you that most people are not having the terrible conditions that once was associated with this virus,” he said. “Most of those that have severe reactions to the virus have previous health issues but even most of those are being treated effectively now and they are responding positive to those new treatments.”

As of July 30, the state has LaSalle listed with 222 positive cases of COVID-19. The sheriff said that total number is actually 158 after he removes duplicates, prison addresses, and those with addresses not from LaSalle Parish.

“And of those 158 the majority have recovered and since tested negative,” he said, noting the list contains the names of everyone who has tested positive since mid-March.

“Yes, COVID-19 is real but not to the extent the state would have you believe. And the governor and all his people know this yet they continue to mislead the people of Louisiana,” Sheriff Franklin concluded.