Community versus individual risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in two municipalities of Louisiana, USA: An assessment of Area Deprivation Index (ADI) paired with seroprevalence data over time

Objective Determine whether an individual is at greater risk of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection because of their community or their individual risk factors. Study design and setting 4,752 records from two large prevalence studies in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana were used to assess whether zip code tabulation areas (ZCTA)-level area deprivation index (ADI) or individual factors accounted for risk of infection. Logistic regression models assessed associations of individual-level demographic and socioeconomic factors and the zip code-level ADI with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results In the unadjusted model, there were increased odds of infection among participants residing in high versus low ADI (both cities) and high versus mid-level ADI (Baton Rouge only) zip codes. When individual-level covariates were included, the odds of infection remained higher only among Baton Rouge participants who resided in high versus mid-level ADI ZCTAs. Several individual factors contributed to infection risk. After adjustment for ADI, race and age (Baton Rouge) and race, marital status, household size, and comorbidities (New Orleans) were significant. Conclusions While higher ADI was associated with higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, individual-level participant characteristics accounted for a significant proportion of this association. Additionally, stage of the pandemic may affect individual risk factors for infection.

Ammonia synthesis on the banks of the Mississippi: A molecular-planetary technology

The paper discusses the CF-industries ammonia plant in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. The plant is framed as an exemplary site from which the Anthropocene can be observed and understood. In doing so, a proposal for a “chemical cultural theory” is set out, to allow us to understand such molecular planetary technologies and interpret their (geo)historical significance. As one of the largest fertilizer plants in the world in terms of its output, and one of the largest chemical plants along the “Petrochemical Corridor,” a cluster of chemical industries situated between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Donaldsonville typifies the relations between the nitrogen and hydrocarbon industries. Catalysis is here used both as a chemical concept and as a metaphor central to the proposed chemical cultural theory. As key to the Haber-Bosch process and refinery technologies in general, investigating the role of catalysis allows us to connect the history of the Petrochemical Corridor to that of German industrialism. This relation reveals how, from the late 19th century through to the World Wars, an ambivalent industrial co-operation between the US and Germany not only transformed local and planetary environments, it also contributed to the Anthropocene condition.

Mississippi Valley, 1862

Union victories at Island No. 10 and Forts Jackson and St. Philip in April 1862 allowed the United States to quickly capture New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Natchez, and Memphis. Their advances prompted the U.S. government to initiate Reconstruction policies that included the enlistment of White, Unionist Southerners. The government also worked with free Blacks, freedmen, and military commanders to start enlisting African American volunteers drawn from throughout the Mississippi Valley by passing the Second Confiscation Act. The Confederate government was badly shaken by its military defeats, especially because its troops suffered from widespread apathy, desertions, and mutinies throughout the Mississippi Valley in 1862. A Confederate conscription law was necessary to bolster its sagging army. The Confederate offensive at Baton Rouge in August was fueled in part by the conscription law and was aimed to interrupt Black enlistments and shore up slavery.

Reduced turnaround times through multi-sectoral community collaboration during the first surge of SARS-CoV-2 and associated effect on patient care and hospital operations

Background In March 2020, an influx of admissions in COVID-19 positive patients threatened to overwhelm healthcare facilities in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Exacerbating this problem was an overall shortage of diagnostic testing capability at that time, resulting in a delay in time-to-result return. An improvement in diagnostic testing availability and timeliness was necessary to improve the allocation of resources and ultimate throughput of patients. The management of a COVID-19 positive patient or patient under investigation requires infection control measures that can quickly consume personal protective equipment (PPE) stores and personnel available to treat these patients. Critical shortages of both PPE and personnel also negatively impact care in patients admitted with non-COVID-19 illnesses. Methods A multisectoral partnership of healthcare providers, facilities and academicians created a molecular diagnostic lab within an academic research facility dedicated to testing inpatients and healthcare personnel for SARS-CoV-2. The purpose of the laboratory was to provide a temporary solution to the East Baton Rouge Parish healthcare community until individual facilities were self-sustaining in testing capabilities. We describe the partnership and the impacts of this endeavor by developing a model derived from a combination of data sources, including electronic health records, hospital operations, and state and local resources. Findings Our model demonstrates two important principles: the impact of reduced turnaround times (TAT) on potential differences in inpatient population numbers for COVID-19 and savings in PPE attributed to the more rapid TAT.

As Inland Becomes Coastal: Shifting Equity and Flood Risk in the Amite River Basin (USA)

Coastal Louisiana is experiencing the most rapid relative sea-level rise in the US due to a combination of a subsiding delta and rising coastal waters. Consequently, the influences of extreme coastal weather are reaching farther inland and impacting urban areas where traditional environmental policy, organised at the parish (county) level, is unable to address this changing flood risks. This situation is most prominent in the metro Baton Rouge region with the largest city situated upstream from two small, but rapidly growing, parishes. Following a massive flood in 2016, the upstream parishes have undertaken policy adjustments to facilitate the expulsion of water toward downstream neighbors and foster redevelopment in the floodplain. The lower parish has expressed concerns about the anticipated increases in discharge to be sent its way. Although the state is concerned with rising sea levels, it has not merged coastal and inland flood policy considerations. Downstream residents have little voice in upstream policy making and the absence of basin-wide management strategy perpetuates emergent risks and environmental injustices. As climate change drives coastal conditions inland, the misalignment between locally based governance and regional environmental realities will become more pronounced and exacerbate social injustices.