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Concordia Parish reported its first positive case of COVID-19 Saturday evening.

The Concordia Parish Office of Homeland Security said it received confirmation of the case from the State of Mississippi. Official notification has been made to the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals

The patient is a Concordia Parish resident and was tested in a hospital in Mississippi after being transported by ambulance to the emergency room Thursday evening, OEP Concordia Parish Director Timothy Vanier said. The patient continues to be treated in a Mississippi hospital. The name of the hospital was not identified.

Details about the patient have not been revealed due to HIPAA  Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Vanier said.

In addition to notifying family members, Vanier said the ambulance company that transported the patient to the hospital has also been notified. Vanier said the ambulance company is following protocal and has placed personnel who wer involved under a 14-day quarantine.

“This is the first case that has been reported for Concordia Parish,” Vanier said, “We do understand that there are a lot of eyes on Concordia Parish at this time in relation to how Concordia Parish handles this situation.”

Vanier said all of the Concordia Parish mayors continue to work with the OEP office in combating the spread of the virus in the parish and that information continues to be disbursed to city leaders, law enforcement and healthcare providers.

“I can say that all of that leadership in Concordia Parish has been preparing for this,” Vanier said. “It has been several times the comment has been made ‘It is not a matter of if, but when.’ We are asking the public to take the spread of this virus seriously.”

Vanier said the position of the Concordia Parish Office of Homeland Security is not to cause fear, hysteria, or panic due to the threat of the COVID-19 virus, but to encourage the public to be well informed and take the state’s “stay at home order” seriously.

“This is not the time to become complacent,” Vanier said.

Vanier said all policies, procedures and guidelines set by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Centers for Disease Control are being followed and have been in place in preparation for a positive COVID-19 case in Concordia Parish.

“I am very proud of our Parish and I am extremely thankful that the leadership of Concordia Parish is working so well together in keeping the public informed, and in being vigilant in their efforts to stop the spread of this disease,” Vanier said. “Stopping the wide spread of this disease is not a ‘one man show.’ It is going to take the efforts of not just all of the leadership in the Parish, but also the residents of the Parish.”