By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editor
FRED FIZZLES: Tropical Storm Fred weakened to a tropical depression Wednesday as it moved over the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola. It could regain strength, however, on a predicted track toward the Florida Panhandle. Get the latest in our Hurricane Center.
INTUBATED, PARALYZED, SEDATED: Inside negative-pressure rooms that suck air in but don't let aerosolized virus particles out, teams of six yellow-gowned workers flip Ocshner Medical Center's sickest COVID-19 patients from back to stomach every 12 hours, hoping to relieve some pressure from their strained lungs. In between, monitors beep and nurses give baths and medication to the patients, who seem to be in a peaceful sleep but are actually engaged in an eerily quiet struggle to survive. Louisiana's pandemic numbers look as bad as ever, sometimes worse. The weekly COVID-19 case count is now 5¾ times what it was just four weeks ago, and the death count is almost 6¼ what is was then. A disturbing number of unvaccinated mothers-to-be have been admitted to the hospitals with serious coronavirus infections, prompting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to urge all pregnant women to get the inoculation.
TAKING A SHOT: Jameis Winston clearly won Wednesday's quarterback competition at the New Orleans Saints training camp, completing six of 10 passes and connecting with a streaking Deonte Harris for a touchdown of about 50 yards. In off-the-field Saints wide receiver news: - Police records say Harris' blood-alcohol level, when he was arrested July 16 near Baltimore, was three times the legal limit for driving.
- Juwan Johnson and his wife, Chanen, have attracted 2 million followers with their TikTok videos.
You'll find these stories and many more in the Front Page and on NOLA.com. Thanks for starting your day with us. D.B.
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