Honoring lives lost, looking to the future “It took us by storm and led us to places that were unimaginable. 768 of our people’s lives have been lost to COVID-19,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. Author: Danny Monteverde / Eyewitness News Published: 7:24 PM CST March 9, 2021 Updated: 7:55 AM CST March 10, 2021 NEW ORLEANS — They say time heals all wounds. Try telling that to “Sunshine” Jefferson. It’s been a year since she lost her husband, Eugene, to COVID-19. He was one of the first people in the city the virus claimed. Yes, it’s a year later. No, it’s not any easier. “Even now, I can still hear his voice,” she said Tuesday after a memorial service on the steps of City Hall. “I cried this morning, and I ain’t think I was going to be able to come.”